Related:

• ocial science number n. // [IBM] A statistic that is content-free, or nearly so.
  A measure derived via methods of questionable validity from data of a dubious and vague nature....
• math-out: [poss. from `white-out' (the blizzard variety)] n.
  A paper or presentation so encrusted with mathematical or other formal notation as to be incomprehensible....
• umbers: [scientific computation] n. Output of a computation that may not be significant results but at least indicate that the program is running.
  May be used to placate management, grant sponsors, etc....
• math-out n. [poss. from `white-out' (the blizzard variety)] A paper or presentation so encrusted with mathematical or other formal notation as to be incomprehensible.
  This may be a device for concealing the fact that it is actually content-free....
• umbers n. [scientific computation] Output of a computation that may not be significant results but at least indicate that the program is running.
  May be used to placate management, grant sponsors, etc....
• o a zeroth approximation: [from `to a first approximation'] A *really* sloppy approximatio
  a wild guess. Compare {social science number}. -- The AI Hackers Dictionary...
• umber-crunching: n. Computations of a numerical nature, esp.
  those that make extensive use of floating-point numbers....
• pretty pictures: n. [scientific computation] The next step up from {numbers}.
  Interesting graphical output from a program that may not have any sensible relationship to the system the program is intended to model....
• hop: 1. n. One file transmission in a series required to get a file from point A to point B on a store-and-forward network.
  On such networks (including {UUCPNET} and {FidoNet}), an important inter-machine metric is the number of hops in the shortest path between them, which can be more significant than their geographical separation....