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fudge factor: n. [common] A value or parameter that is varied in an ad hoc way to
produce the desired result. The terms tolerance and slop are
also used, though these usually indicate a one-sided leeway, such as a
buffer that is made larger than necessary because one isn't sure exactly
how large it needs to be, and it is better to waste a little space than to
lose completely for not having enough. A fudge factor, on the other hand,
can often be tweaked in more than one direction. A good example is the
fuzz typically allowed in
floating-point calculations: two numbers being compared for equality must
be allowed to differ by a small amount; if that amount is too small, a
computation may never terminate, while if it is too large, results will be
needlessly inaccurate. Fudge factors are frequently adjusted incorrectly
by programmers who don't fully understand their import. See also
coefficient of X.
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