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I know an accounting joke: An engineer and an accountant are on a train when they pass between two fields of sheep. "Boy, there are a lot of sheep in those fi
by crntaylor 13y ago
I know an accounting joke:
An engineer and an accountant are on a train when they pass between two fields of sheep.
"Boy, there are a lot of sheep in those fields." says the engineer.
"There are 1,005" says the accountant.
"How do you know?"
"Well, there are about 1,000 in that field, and there are 5 in the other one."
- gjm11 13y agoThe thing about this joke is that the accountant is (kinda) right. Suppose they pass one field with about 1000 sheep and lots and lots of fields with ~5 sheep. Someone who thinks "about 1000" + 5 = "about 1000" is going to get a very wrong answer, and someone who thinks "about 1000" + 5 = "about 1005" is going to do much better. This is also why, when combining floating-point values of different widths, it is better to say single + double -> double than single + double -> single, and why the concept of "significant figures" as commonly taught in schools is dangerous.
- NAFV_P 13y agoAn accountant has her purse stolen. The first thing she does is make a debit entry in the appropriate account in the thieves' ledger.