Ballpark Figures
When my boss asks me for a “ballpark figure”, what figure should I give him?
———- from Pedro Rodriguez ofEl Paso, Texas
Your boss is probably more scientifically astute than you are. When he asks you for data in these forms, he’s utilizing principles of Statistics. Specifically, he’s referring to Indeterminacy and Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. These principles are the foundation on which is based the uncertain future of our modern world. So, the next time he asks you for a “guesstimate”, round off to the nearest significant figure and show him you’ve got your head screwed on right, statistically speaking. As for ballparks, tell him you’ll have to travel to Denver, Cleveland, Baltimore or Chicago’s Wrigley Field. Now those are real ballpark figures. Unless they’ve raised the price of popcorn over 50 cents, that is.
Your boss is probably more scientifically astute than you are. When he asks you for data in these forms, he’s utilizing principles of Statistics. Specifically, he’s referring to Indeterminacy and Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. These principles are the foundation on which is based the uncertain future of our modern world. So, the next time he asks you for a “guesstimate”, round off to the nearest significant figure and show him you’ve got your head screwed on right, statistically speaking. As for ballparks, tell him you’ll have to travel to Denver, Cleveland, Baltimore or Chicago’s Wrigley Field. Now those are real ballpark figures. Unless they’ve raised the price of popcorn over 50 cents, that is.