Xref: utzoo rec.humor:10517 sci.misc:930
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cca!g-rh
From: g-rh@cca.CCA.COM (Richard Harter)
Newsgroups: rec.humor,sci.misc
Subject: Re: Do You Have an Interesting Formula?
Message-ID: <25481@cca.CCA.COM>
Date: 12 Mar 88 19:02:50 GMT
References: <1536@pixar.UUCP>
Reply-To: g-rh@CCA.CCA.COM.UUCP (Richard Harter)
Organization: Computer Corp. of America, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 26
Keywords: formula

In article <1536@pixar.UUCP> hb@pixar.UUCP (H. B. Siegel) writes:
>I'm collecting interesting and/or amusing "formulas" for eventual
>posting.
>
>  The actual value of anything is equal to the log of
>it's cost.  E.g. a stereo that costs twice as much as another stereo
>is no where near twice as good.  

This one is wrong --  the actual function has a parameter, which we
shall call the normal cost.  If the cost is signifigantly lower than
the normal cost the value goes exponentially to a constant known as
"the useless junk value".  However it is true that for costs sufficiently
greater than the normal cost the the function is approximately logarithmic.

The normal cost parameter depends on two factors, the intrinsic cost
and the thrifty shopper factor.  A complete and monumentally incorrect
discussion of this function can be found in:

"The complete parameterized Cost/Value function as applied to the purchase
of sheep dip.", The South Dakota Sheep Herders Quarterly, Vol CCLXXVIII,
pps 2047-2179, by Ephraim T. Blatherskite, ThD.
-- 

In the fields of Hell where the grass grows high
Are the graves of dreams allowed to die.
	Richard Harter, SMDS  Inc.