Average
Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 4:53 pm
Well, I suspect we all know this word in its current usage, but do many of us know that it does not directly relate to mathematics, but to shipping?
Originally, average was a standard charge applied to damages incurred in shipping. The -age suffix is quite widely used, as in tonnage, pilotage, etc. It has, however, been hijacked by math. The average expectation of loss during shipping has become the average we now all know and love.
Originally, average was a standard charge applied to damages incurred in shipping. The -age suffix is quite widely used, as in tonnage, pilotage, etc. It has, however, been hijacked by math. The average expectation of loss during shipping has become the average we now all know and love.