Jc3s5h added a comment. In https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T105623#1657997, @daniel wrote in part:
> @Jc3s5h what, then, would be an example for a reliable/acceptable source > giving us a number with no hint at the uncertainty? When should we consider > an uncertainty unsourced? If Nature gives the size of a crater on Mars in > kilometers, what uncertainty should we assume, and should it be considered > sourced? We must also allow for the case where there is no reliable source. Normally a reliable source would give us an uncertainty, implicitly or explicitly; the main exception that comes to mind would be a quantity that is just mentioned in passing; something that is not the main focus of the document. "Explicitly" would include a description of the method used to determine the quantity, including the accuracy of the method, even if the description was in a different part of the document. "Implicitly" usually be the number of significant figures for the item in Wikidata, together with the number of significant figures for other items in the source measured in the same way. If a source described a method for measuring the elevation of mountain summits, then said the elevation of Mt. X was 2013 m, Mt. Y was 2000 m, and Mt. Z was 7253 m, we have a sourced statement that the uncertainty of Mt Y is 2000 m ± a few meters. > I'm afraid the distinction of sourced vs unsourced uncertainty makes things > harder to handle in code and more difficult to understand for users. > > I suggest we do what we always do, really: we assume that people follow the > establish conventions when entering data. Most people never think of > significant digits or uncertainties explicitly, but we all used the concept > intuitively, all the time, when we say that the store is "two hundreds yards > away" or it's "170 Miles to Sometown". I agree. TASK DETAIL https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T105623 EMAIL PREFERENCES https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/settings/panel/emailpreferences/ To: Jc3s5h Cc: Mike_Peel, Jc3s5h, thiemowmde, kaldari, daniel, Stryn, Lydia_Pintscher, Liuxinyu970226, Snipre, Event, Ash_Crow, mgrabovsky, Micru, Denny, He7d3r, Bene, Wikidata-bugs, Ricordisamoa, Kelson, MSGJ, Klortho, Wolfvoll, Aklapper, aude _______________________________________________ Wikidata-bugs mailing list Wikidata-bugs@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikidata-bugs
