Monday, 3 October 2005

What's that got to do with the price of eggs?

I'm overhearing a conversation now that's been going on and off for about an hour whose main points are as follows:
  • The price of oil has gone up by X dollars per barrel
  • The price of petrol at the pump has gone up by 0.30AUD per litre
  • That's all we know
  • Based on these two related price increases, we can work out at least a theoretical relationship between the two
  • That's not enough information to deduce anything at all
The various points are being made by two people with slightly different wording each time. They're not going to agree. Even though one is attempting to get his point across without being agreed with ("The prices are related"), the other is not giving any ground ("You just don't have enough information").

Mokalus of Borg

PS - I think they might have agreed to disagree now.
PPS - That basically means they stop talking and keep thinking they're each right and the other is wrong.

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