fudge factor
Built-in wiggle room
A fudge factor is an allowance built into calculations or plans to account for uncertainty, error, or unforeseen complications.
Engineers add fudge factors to safety margins; project managers add them to timelines.
The term suggests approximate rather than precise adjustment: I always add a fudge factor when estimating how long the drive will take.
Edge of a page
- bufferProtective intermediate space
- allowanceFixed periodic payment
- toleranceWillingness to accept difference
- leewayPermissible margin of freedom
wiggle room · slack · cushion · flexibility · latitude · contingency · safety margin · padding
Difference between expected and actual
- inaccuracyLack of precision
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- varianceSpread around the mean
- deviationDeparture from expected path
imprecision · rounding · measurement error · tolerance · slippage · drift · offset · calibration
Minor adjustment
- massageSoft tissue manipulation
- adjustmentAlteration to improve fit
- finaglingObtaining through cunning
- fiddlingAimless, restless manipulation
doctoring · cooking the books · creative accounting · number crunching · hand-waving · kludge · workaround · cheating
margin
Edge of a page
- bufferProtective intermediate space
- allowanceFixed periodic payment
- toleranceWillingness to accept difference
leeway · wiggle room · slack · cushion · flexibility · latitude · contingency · safety margin · padding · breathing room
discrepancy
Difference between expected and actual
- inaccuracyLack of precision
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- varianceSpread around the mean
deviation · imprecision · rounding · measurement error · tolerance · slippage · drift · offset · calibration · correction
tweak
Minor adjustment
- massageSoft tissue manipulation
- adjustmentAlteration to improve fit
- finaglingObtaining through cunning
fiddling · doctoring · cooking the books · creative accounting · number crunching · hand-waving · kludge · workaround · cheating · finessing
- mental mathmental math, mental arithmetic, estimation, guesstimate, ballpark
- Factorsmultiplier, divisor, coefficient
fudge factorexact science
Discipline yielding precise, testable results
first principles · mathematical proof · scientific method · controlled experiment
fudge, factor, fudged, fudges, fudging, fudgy, factors, factored, factoring