Re[2]: acceptable error rates

[Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- COM]

      Thus, a 1000-page document with two pages containing an error would
      result in a .2% error rate, or a 99.8% accuracy rating.  That's
      darned good.

Actually, it's pretty darned bad. A .2% failure rate would mean:

There would be nearly one plane crash each and every day at O'Hare
airport; I don't even want to calculate the daily number of crashes
nationwide.

Each and every nuclear power plant in the US would have an accident
approximately every year and a half. (I don't know the total, but if there
were 500 plants, it would mean one accident each day.)

Nearly 10000 cars would fail to start in the morning in New York City
alone.

Every single message that was posted to this list would fail to reach at
least three members.

Every minute of every day, 50,000 people would lose their Internet
connection while they were online (this is based on 25 million, that
number is now considerably higher).

Think of what might happen if .2% of the wheels suddenly fell off the cars
on the freeway as you're driving home tonight. That's one wheel for every
125 cars (I'll be nice and not include spares in this calculation).

I could go on, but I think I've made my point.


Have fun,
Arlen
Chief Managing Director In Charge, Department of Redundancy Department
DNRC 224

Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com
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