3 ms·
Significant-digits seem like schoolroom drudgery until, one day, there is enlightenment.
by ISL 7y ago
Significant-digits seem like schoolroom drudgery until, one day, there is enlightenment.
- Arnt 7y agoThat day may be today, if you enlighten us...
- jjoonathan 7y agoThey're a useful tool, no more, no less. Using a useful tool to do something useless doesn't make the useless thing useful. Sometimes significant digits are too primitive a tool for error communication, and you might have to use the parameters of a normal distribution, some other distribution, or even a histogram. Other times significant digits are too cumbersome because it would take time to discover the precision in a situation where nobody actually cares beyond a crude threshold. This is one of those other times.