Kevlin Henney3d ago

There is an art (and a science) to numerical precision that seems lost in software, writing and conversation. The trick to appropriate precision is understanding accuracy. This all falls under the banner of numeracy.

For example, I just received a confirmation of a cinema booking that gave the time of the film in HH:MM:SS format. The site lists programme times in HH:MM. They normally start trailers within a few minutes of the advertised time. To list seconds is an innumerate and false promise.

Show threadKevlin Henney3d ago

I sometimes receive notifications that I can expect a delivery in a 2-hour window such as "between 12:07 and 14:07".

To quote to the minute shows a failure of understanding of what an approximate range is, as well traffic and logistics.

It's a 2-hour window of imprecision. Quoting to the minute shows a deep lack of understanding. Quoting to 5-minute intervals is just about acceptable. To 10- or 15-minute is more appropriate significance. But honestly, in this case, to the hour is just fine.

Show threadDavid Geary
@kevlin I'm pretty sure it's actually done on purpose. A lot of people confuse accuracy with precision, so a very precise value - Google Maps telling me it'll take 4 hours 21 mins to get to London if I leave now - makes people believe it must be right.
Mar 25 at 3:17pmWeb
Show threadKevlin Henney2d ago
@zudnick While I certainly believe that some people (and companies) will use this as a cynical ploy, I think that Hanlon's Razor applies far more often.