A RELATIVE SCORE METHOD 



255 



It will be obvious that the method is not limited to comparisons 

 of condition but can be applied to the expression of any com- 

 parisons whatever. By its use the writer and associates have 

 made comparisons with reference to things so various as the 

 color of chemical precipitates, the degree of nocculation of clay 

 suspensions, the relative ruggedness of mountain ranges, the 

 thickness of stand of native vegetation, the adhesiveness of wall 

 paper to different plasters, and many others. Of course many 

 of these things were actually measurable but the measurements 

 were difficult, time consuming and unnecessary. For instance 

 the degree of ruggedness of a mountain range might be measured 

 in several ways by analysis of a contour map but to do so would 



TABLE 1 

 Summation of weighted scores 



require weeks or months of concentrated labor even granting 

 that accurate maps were available. By the comparative score 

 method the relative ruggedness of a dozen ranges can be deter- 

 mined in a few minutes by mere inspection of the maps or from 

 a fairly good knowledge of the topography without any maps at 

 all. 



In conclusion it may be emphasized that this method is simply 

 a system of facilitating, recording and formalizing judgment 

 and is nothing else whatever. It depends for its accuracy 

 entirely upon the correctness of the individual judgments the 

 results of which it expresses. If these be wrong the scoring of 

 them will not make them any less so. Like all mathematical 

 or quasi-mathematical procedures absolutely nothing comes 





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