coefficient of X

Hackish speech makes heavy use of pseudo-mathematical

metaphors. Four particularly important ones involve the terms

"coefficient", "factor", "index", and "quotient". They are

often loosely applied to things you cannot really be

quantitative, but there are subtle distinctions among them

that convey information about the way the speaker mentally

models whatever he or she is describing.

"Foo factor" and "foo quotient" tend to describe something for

which the issue is one of presence or absence. The canonical

example is fudge factor. It's not important how much you're

fudging; the term simply acknowledges that some fudging is

needed. You might talk of liking a movie for its silliness

factor. Quotient tends to imply that the property is a ratio

of two opposing factors: "I would have won except for my luck

quotient." This could also be "I would have won except for

the luck factor", but using *quotient* emphasises that it was

bad luck overpowering good luck (or someone else's good luck

overpowering your own).

"Foo index" and "coefficient of foo" both tend to imply that

foo is, if not strictly measurable, at least something that

can be larger or smaller. Thus, you might refer to a paper or

person as having a "high bogosity index", whereas you would be

less likely to speak of a "high bogosity factor". "Foo index"

suggests that foo is a condensation of many quantities, as in

the mundane cost-of-living index; "coefficient of foo"

suggests that foo is a fundamental quantity, as in a

coefficient of friction. The choice between these terms is

often one of personal preference; e.g. some people might feel

that bogosity is a fundamental attribute and thus say

"coefficient of bogosity", whereas others might feel it is a

combination of factors and thus say "bogosity index".

[Jargon File]

(1994-11-29)