w e i g h t e d a v e r a g e
The weighted average is one of the unsung heroes of math, especially for those of us that
love conditionals. An average is great, if all the quantities can be assumed to be drawn from
the same distribution, but with a weighted average, each element gets its own story - its own
weight. Weighted averages can get a bad name from the infamous grade calculation: 25% of your
grade from your homework scores, 50% from your test scores and 25% from your final, and so on.
As the semester
was drawing to a close, I watched students figure out just how hard they needed to be studying
for the final. In truth, we use weighted averages all the time. How much money to set aside for
holiday toys? How much spaghetti to make tonight? How far can I go on this tank of gas?
Even with this pendant: you might say, "I like gemstone pendants" - a nice average
statement where your feelings about any one gemstone are approximately the same. But what if
you said, "I like garnets better than any other gemstone"? Now your feelings about
garnets are different than other gemstones, and that will bias how you select jewelry. Or
maybe you say, "I only buy cabochon gemstone jewelry" or "small jewelry pendants
don't work with my wardrobe". If I wanted
to, I could assign some numbers to these feelings - these biases - and voila, we could
have a jewelry selection algorithm that could quantify how likely you are to buy this necklace
compared with another.
I hear people say they don't like math, which is too bad because
it can be a lot of fun. The next time someone says they can't do math, remind them of weighted averages.
Cost: $36.00 USD
g i f t i n s t r u c t i o n s :
If this item is going to be a gift, enter the
gift recipient name in the text box when you add this item to your cart. If your entire order
is going to one recipient (yourself or other), no other action is needed and you can
specify the shipping address in PayPal checkout. However, if you would like multiple recipients
in the same order, we can accommodate that! Before
you check out, make sure to add a gift box
to your cart for each gift recipient in your order.
You will be charged $4.95 USD for each recipient other than yourself and you'll need to add
the recipient name and address to the gift box text field. Also, each recipient can receive
multiple items for the same $4.95 gift box fee;
just continue to specify their name when adding items to your cart.
c a t e g o r i e s :
- Color: red purple
- Color: neutral - light
- Material: gem rainbow
- Material: feldspars
- Type: necklace - mid
- Geek Chic: school daze
- Cool Finds: cool stones
- Something Special: workhorses
The pendant and chain are robust to toddler tugs, but as with
all beaded jewelry: do not let young toddlers chew on it.
