Computers for Smart People by Robert S. Swiatek - HTML preview

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17. Fuzzy math

 

            You might think that the way government balances the budget – yeah, right – is an example of fuzzy math. Maybe that’s true, but not what I had in mind here. A few years ago when I was a computer programmer, I got a request from a user for a report dealing with percentages. The specifics of the report are a blur since it was some time ago but the assignment created some difficulties that were not easily resolved. I can relate that occasion by a very pertinent report today. Suppose I want a report on usage on web sites, along with percentages. The access to a site will result in a hit and assuming the sites are Chris, Kelly, Pat, Rene, Whitney and Jamie, the report might look like the following: