Lackadaisical numbers, expressions and functions have an actual value that is always less than its potential value, or as computer scientist Professor Andrew Winthrop puts it, “a lackadaisical is an identity that is less than itself.” Lackadaisicals include probabilities that produce results with a margin of error greater than fifty percent; any result one or more orders of magnitude smaller than its significant digit; and all distributions based on non-random samples. Some psychologists claim they are useful in enumerating false modesty and hyperbole. In mathematics they are used extensively in political polling, pharmaceutical testing, punditry and last- minute master’s thesis surveys. They are also used in pharmacology to miscalculate doses, and by weight-watchers everywhere to count calories.
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