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The difference between relative and absolute differences has been highlighted on arbitrary constant before. This weekend, however, is a perfect demonstration of what the two terms can hide.

Your weekend will be extended by just over 2% because of the clocks going back one hour. However, 2% doesn't sound a lot, does it? On the other hand, that extra hour — however you spend it (though arbitrary constant's will be in bed) — seems like an awful lot.

That is the difference between the absolute and the relative.

Update: a Welsh Assembly Member is calling for Wales not to observe the moving of clocks forward and back. This is an example of one of several voices that pop up every year criticising British Summer Time and the moving of clocks back and forward by one hour. To take the opposite of my substantive point above, the relative gain/loss (depending on your view of things) of one hour during one weekend in late October is small compared to the inevitable shortening of the days as the planets continue on their immutable way and winter sets in. Wouldn't we all be a bit better if we focused on something, well, different?

Tags — General Interest