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