"10-04-14: Dgarretson
I've always thought of this phenomenon in abstract terms as an example of Xeno's Dichotomy paradox. As one approaches the (unattainable) goal of the Absolute sound, progress is experienced not as the distance travelled from the point of origin, but rather as a closing of the gap that remains. If one's system is 90% of what it can be, then a 5% progress to 95% is perceived as a 50% improvement-- closing the remaining gap by half. At 95% of goal, progress to 96% of goal is perceived as a 20% improvement in performance. This is why relatively small incremental improvements can be meaningful."
The only way you can assign percentages as a representative of performance is if you know what the end result is, and that it can be attained. If you don't know what 100% is, then 50% and 20% (or whatever), is meaningless.
I've always thought of this phenomenon in abstract terms as an example of Xeno's Dichotomy paradox. As one approaches the (unattainable) goal of the Absolute sound, progress is experienced not as the distance travelled from the point of origin, but rather as a closing of the gap that remains. If one's system is 90% of what it can be, then a 5% progress to 95% is perceived as a 50% improvement-- closing the remaining gap by half. At 95% of goal, progress to 96% of goal is perceived as a 20% improvement in performance. This is why relatively small incremental improvements can be meaningful."
The only way you can assign percentages as a representative of performance is if you know what the end result is, and that it can be attained. If you don't know what 100% is, then 50% and 20% (or whatever), is meaningless.