Editing Hand-waving (section)

==In applied science and engineering==
{{anchor|Science and engineering|In science and engineering}}
Hand-waving arguments in [[engineering]] and other [[applied sciences]] often include [[Orders of magnitude|order-of-magnitude]] estimates and [[dimensional analysis]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://w.astro.berkeley.edu/~echiang/dta_statement_chiang.pdf|title=Order-of-Magnitude Physics: Hand-Waving as Performance Art|last=Chiang|first=Eugene|website=University of California Berkeley — The Department of Astronomy}}</ref> especially in the use of [[Fermi problem]]s in physics and engineering education. However, competent, well-intentioned researchers and professors also rely on explicitly declared hand-waving when, given a limited time, a large result must be shown and minor technical details cannot be given much attention&mdash;e.g., "it can be shown that {{var|z}} is an even number", as an intermediary step in reaching a conclusion.
  
Another example of hand-waving can be found in the oversimplifications of the geologic representations commonly used in [[Groundwater_model|groundwater models]] created in support of land-development applications, especially those involving metal mining and aggregate extraction.  
  
[[Back-of-the-envelope calculation]]s are approximate ways to get an answer by over-simplification, and are comparable to hand-waving in this sense.