Polls - always good for a laugh!

Discussion in 'Bulletin Board ARCHIVE' started by Tekkytyke, Sep 12, 2014.

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  1. Tek

    Tekkytyke Well-Known Member

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    Latest: Yes 45% No 50% don't know 6% (101%) How does that work then?? Yesterday's total came to 99%.
     
    Tekkytyke, Sep 12, 2014
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  2. BarnsleyReds

    BarnsleyReds Well-Known Member

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    It because of rounding I'd assume, for example 45.5% and 54.5% come to 100%, yeah, but both of those rounded properly make 46% and 55% 101%
     
    BarnsleyReds, Sep 12, 2014
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  3. Tek

    Tekkytyke Well-Known Member

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    That only works with numbers NOT percentages since a percentage is always a 'fraction of 100'
     
    Tekkytyke, Sep 12, 2014
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  4. BarnsleyReds

    BarnsleyReds Well-Known Member

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    If I have 1000 people, and 655 vote No, that's 65.5%
     
    BarnsleyReds, Sep 12, 2014
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  5. Tek

    Tekkytyke Well-Known Member

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    and 345 is 34.5. 65.5 and 34.5 is 100% It HAS to add up to 100!
     
    Tekkytyke, Sep 12, 2014
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  6. BarnsleyReds

    BarnsleyReds Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, but the point is all the decimals can't fit on, so they round them, and .5 is always rounded up.
     
    BarnsleyReds, Sep 12, 2014
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  7. Pas

    Pasta Banned Idiot

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    The whole subject of independence is a hyped up joke.
     
    Pasta, Sep 12, 2014
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  8. man

    mansfield_red Well-Known Member

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    The results could have been 44.6%, 49.7% and 5.7%. Adds up to 100% but rounding each to the nearest % gives 45%, 50% and 6%
     
    mansfield_red, Sep 12, 2014
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  9. Pas

    Pasta Banned Idiot

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    Would have thought that would have been 44%, 50%, 6%........but I don't know the rules of mathematics and rounding, so could very easily be talking out of my arris,
     
    Pasta, Sep 12, 2014
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  10. BarnsleyReds

    BarnsleyReds Well-Known Member

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    This. Similarly, for example, 45.4%, 49.3% and 5.3% is 100%, but 45, 49 and 5 gets you 99
     
    BarnsleyReds, Sep 12, 2014
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  11. BarnsleyReds

    BarnsleyReds Well-Known Member

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    Any decimal below .5 is rounded down, .5 and up is rounded up
     
    BarnsleyReds, Sep 12, 2014
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  12. Tek

    Tekkytyke Well-Known Member

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    When I did Economics we had to do basic statistics...

    There is a requirement that the integer percentages must add up to <nobr>[FONT=MathJax_Main-Web]100[/FONT][FONT=MathJax_Main-Web]%[/FONT] </nobr> . Which means that rounding up one percentage will cause the other to round down. you canuse an algorithm to bring it back to 100% on computer programs
     
    Tekkytyke, Sep 12, 2014
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  13. arabian_ian

    arabian_ian Well-Known Member

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    This government will do anything to get the result they want.

    Running scared.
     
    arabian_ian, Sep 12, 2014
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  14. Tek

    Tekkytyke Well-Known Member

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    Not when dealing with percentages (see my other reply)
     
    Tekkytyke, Sep 12, 2014
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  15. BarnsleyReds

    BarnsleyReds Well-Known Member

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    I'm a professional programmer and I've never heard of, or used such an algorithm, then again, I can't recall an instance where I've displayed % as actual numbers. Mainly used, from my experience in GUI based elements, or in games, for example, where I normally would display it on a bar.

    EDIT: that said, I can see your point, I'm just explaining where the figures came from.
     
    BarnsleyReds, Sep 12, 2014
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  16. EastStander

    EastStander Active Member

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    Don't worry - it could always be the Fox News school of statistics!
    [​IMG]
     
    EastStander, Sep 12, 2014
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  17. Farnham_Red

    Farnham_Red Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    If you only have 2 figures I think you are right but if you have 3 figures for the purposes of press reporting of course they will round them

    Lets say for example you have 300 people polled and exactly 100 say they will vote yes another 100 will vote no and the final hundred are still undecided

    thats 33.3333333...% each

    This will be reported as 33% in each camp = 99% - of course its wrong but I dont see how your algoritm works which one do you round up to 34%
     
    Farnham_Red, Sep 12, 2014
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  18. Tek

    Tekkytyke Well-Known Member

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    I am not a programmer so bow to your experience. I have noted though with MS xls (and when I used to use a ClarisWorks) I did not find percentage anomalies. Open Office xls does (did) however throw up some strange rounding up/down especially when using currency cells. I did find a (very academic) discussion and examples on the web. Over my head!
     
    Tekkytyke, Sep 12, 2014
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  19. arabian_ian

    arabian_ian Well-Known Member

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    [​IMG]

    Most polls are normally takes over a cross section of 1000 people.

    As you can see this online poll taking the views of over 23000 gives interesting reading.
     
    arabian_ian, Sep 12, 2014
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  20. EastStander

    EastStander Active Member

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    That's all well and good but doesn't give any indication as to the demographic - for all I know it was taken outside SNP headquarters!
     
    EastStander, Sep 13, 2014
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