Comments on: Approximate problems and approximate solutions http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/07/10/approximate-problems-and-approximate-solutions/ The blog of John D. Cook Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:42:11 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Phil H http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/07/10/approximate-problems-and-approximate-solutions/comment-page-1/#comment-19820 Phil H Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:17:45 +0000 http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/07/10/approximate-problems-and-approximate-solutions/#comment-19820 One more thing in favour of approximate solutions: they are generally more quickly obtained, so they are usable sooner. If you can discover today that roughly half your customers cannot use your online payment system, that's worth far more than knowing that 46.2% of them were having problems in a week's time. Put another way, Google could sit and calculate exactly the most relevant page it ever found for your search on "first aid cut finger", but you'd rather have the answer *now*. One more thing in favour of approximate solutions: they are generally more quickly obtained, so they are usable sooner. If you can discover today that roughly half your customers cannot use your online payment system, that’s worth far more than knowing that 46.2% of them were having problems in a week’s time.

Put another way, Google could sit and calculate exactly the most relevant page it ever found for your search on “first aid cut finger”, but you’d rather have the answer *now*.

]]> By: John Venier http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/07/10/approximate-problems-and-approximate-solutions/comment-page-1/#comment-2582 John Venier Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:56:05 +0000 http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/07/10/approximate-problems-and-approximate-solutions/#comment-2582 My favorite story along those lines is the old chestnut about the fellow looking for his wallet at night under a streetlamp, when he lost it a block away, because the light was better. Regarding improving the saying, what about: <blockquote>An approximate answer to the right problem is worth a good deal more than an exact answer to the wrong problem.</blockquote> My favorite story along those lines is the old chestnut about the fellow looking for his wallet at night under a streetlamp, when he lost it a block away, because the light was better.

Regarding improving the saying, what about:

An approximate answer to the right problem is worth a good deal more than an exact answer to the wrong problem.

]]> By: Andrew Gelman http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/07/10/approximate-problems-and-approximate-solutions/comment-page-1/#comment-2468 Andrew Gelman Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:44:22 +0000 http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/07/10/approximate-problems-and-approximate-solutions/#comment-2468 I don't like Tukey's saying. It's too crudely lexicographical. Which is better has got to depend on how good each of the two approximations are. I don’t like Tukey’s saying. It’s too crudely lexicographical. Which is better has got to depend on how good each of the two approximations are.

]]>