Then she set about designing a new model that could function as a hydroponic support system for the roses, able to withstand everything from wilting heat to high winds.

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Many will also now see his past Google (GOOG) success as a function of the AdWords business model and him being in the right place at the right time, rather than innate sales and leadership skill.

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'THINK TV, ' was one early slogan, which imagined a model where banner ads atop Internet pages would function as successfully as commercials do on television.

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The capital asset pricing model (CAPM) approximates return as a linear function of beta.

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As a simplified model, Dr Page imagines a wave function for a whole universe (for these purposes, a universe can be considered as a single particle), from which two possible versions might be born.

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Dr Page's model of the initial wave function of the universe is, as he would be the first to admit, far too simplistic.

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Odds are if Apple does introduce an iPhone model that includes fingerprint recognition technology either as a general security function, for mobile payment safety or both, others will follow suit.

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Though nobody is quite certain, it looks as though the Hartle-Hawking wave function may behave rather like Dr Page's model.

ECONOMIST: The universe, it appears, may not be alone