| slovo | definícia |
coefficient of x
(jargon) | coefficient of X
n.
Hackish speech makes heavy use of pseudo-mathematical metaphors. Four
particularly important ones involve the terms coefficient, factor, index of
X, and quotient. They are often loosely applied to things you cannot really
be quantitative about, but there are subtle distinctions among them that
convey information about the way the speaker mentally models whatever he or
she is describing. Foo factor and foo quotient tend to describe something
for which the issue is one of presence or absence. The canonical example is
fudge factor. It's not important how much you're fudging; the term simply
acknowledges that some fudging is needed. You might talk of liking a movie
for its silliness factor. Quotient tends to imply that the property is a
ratio of two opposing factors: “I would have won except for my luck
quotient.” This could also be “I would have won except for the luck factor”
, but using quotient emphasizes that it was bad luck overpowering good luck
(or someone else's good luck overpowering your own). Foo index and
coefficient of foo both tend to imply that foo is, if not strictly
measurable, at least something that can be larger or smaller. Thus, you
might refer to a paper or person as having a high bogosity index, whereas
you would be less likely to speak of a high bogosity factor. Foo index
suggests that foo is a condensation of many quantities, as in the mundane
cost-of-living index; coefficient of foo suggests that foo is a fundamental
quantity, as in a coefficient of friction. The choice between these terms
is often one of personal preference; e.g., some people might feel that
bogosity is a fundamental attribute and thus say coefficient of bogosity,
whereas others might feel it is a combination of factors and thus say
bogosity index.
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| | podobné slovo | definícia |
coefficient of x
(jargon) | coefficient of X
n.
Hackish speech makes heavy use of pseudo-mathematical metaphors. Four
particularly important ones involve the terms coefficient, factor, index of
X, and quotient. They are often loosely applied to things you cannot really
be quantitative about, but there are subtle distinctions among them that
convey information about the way the speaker mentally models whatever he or
she is describing. Foo factor and foo quotient tend to describe something
for which the issue is one of presence or absence. The canonical example is
fudge factor. It's not important how much you're fudging; the term simply
acknowledges that some fudging is needed. You might talk of liking a movie
for its silliness factor. Quotient tends to imply that the property is a
ratio of two opposing factors: “I would have won except for my luck
quotient.” This could also be “I would have won except for the luck factor”
, but using quotient emphasizes that it was bad luck overpowering good luck
(or someone else's good luck overpowering your own). Foo index and
coefficient of foo both tend to imply that foo is, if not strictly
measurable, at least something that can be larger or smaller. Thus, you
might refer to a paper or person as having a high bogosity index, whereas
you would be less likely to speak of a high bogosity factor. Foo index
suggests that foo is a condensation of many quantities, as in the mundane
cost-of-living index; coefficient of foo suggests that foo is a fundamental
quantity, as in a coefficient of friction. The choice between these terms
is often one of personal preference; e.g., some people might feel that
bogosity is a fundamental attribute and thus say coefficient of bogosity,
whereas others might feel it is a combination of factors and thus say
bogosity index.
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