Xref: utzoo comp.edu:2329 comp.software-eng:1658 Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!sun-barr!ames!ncar!dinl!hull From: hull@dinl.uucp (Jeff Hull) Newsgroups: comp.edu,comp.software-eng Subject: Re: What do the terms METRIC and MEASURE mean? Keywords: metric, measure, hip Message-ID: <1059@dinl.mmc.UUCP> Date: 21 Jun 89 20:05:21 GMT References: <43f1e8da.17e7e@gtephx.UUCP> Reply-To: hull@dinl.UUCP (Jeff Hull) Organization: Martin Marietta I&CS, Denver CO. Lines: 27 In article <43f1e8da.17e7e@gtephx.UUCP> sheppards@gtephx.UUCP (Scott Sheppard) writes: > metric - a data item (e.g. widget, hour) > > measure - a combination of one or more metrics that > reflects the attributes of an entity > (e.g. widgets per hour) A metric is a methodology for quantifying the attributes of something. For example, length is a metric for quantifying the physical size of an object. In your example above, widget is not a metric but hour is (a metric of duration). A set of metrics which identifies all attributes of interest of an item is said to completely define the item. When you have obtained values for each metric of the set, you have completely described the item. Some people use the term measure (as in, to have the measure of an item) to indicate that they have completely described the item. I do not know if this is a standard usage of the term. -- Blessed Be, Jeff Hull ...!ncar!dinl!hull 1544 S. Vaughn Circle 303-750-3538 It was great when it all begaaaaan, Aurora, CO 80012 I was a regular faaaan, ....