2248: New Year's Eve - Revision history

Hawthorn: Slight rewrite for clarity, some wiki links

2025-08-21T14:32:21Z

Slight rewrite for clarity, some wiki links

Pie Guy: /* Explanation */ expounded on fencepost example. My life is empty and I have nothing

2023-11-07T21:08:41Z

‎Explanation: expounded on fencepost example. My life is empty and I have nothing

Jacky720: rv

2022-05-04T23:31:07Z

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Ex Kay Cee Dee at 23:30, 4 May 2022

2022-05-04T23:30:32Z

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Jacky720: rv

2022-05-04T21:11:23Z

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Ex Kay Cee Dee at 17:23, 4 May 2022

2022-05-04T17:23:40Z

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Dheppens: Undo revision 232650 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

2022-05-04T02:16:45Z

Undo revision 232650 by X. K. C. D. (talk)

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X. K. C. D. at 21:52, 3 May 2022

2022-05-03T21:52:51Z

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Donthaveusername: /* Explanation */

2020-10-02T17:26:06Z

‎Explanation

Donthaveusername: /* Explanation */

2020-10-02T17:25:44Z

‎Explanation

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 An easy way to determine someone's age is to subtract their birth year from the current year. However, if their birthday has not happened yet that year, this calculation will predict them to be a year older than they actually are. By {{w|New Year's Eve}}, everybody's birthday has happened that year (or ''is'' happening, but legitimately tallied up), so this error will not occur. [[Cueball]] is excited by this, whereas most people would be more excited by the parties that typically occur around New Year's.
-"Off-by-one" errors are commonly made in computer programming, especially by novices, when looping over sets of objects. They can also appear in everyday life. If one is given a range of numbers, such as {10, 11, 12, ..., 99, 100}, a common error is to assume that the number of numbers in the range is the first number minus the last number: 100-10 = 90. However, the correct answer is 91 since both endpoints are included in the set. This specific type of "off-by-one" error is called a fencepost error; as-in, a fence with ten fence segments will require eleven fenceposts to support it, but many may erroneously believe that it requires ten fenceposts (one post for each segment).
+{{w|Off-by-one error}}s are commonly made in computer programming when looping over sets of objects, or when trying to count the number of items in a range. For example, suppose we have a range of integers, {10, 11, 12, ..., 98, 99, 100}. How many integers are in this set? A common temptation is to subtract the first number from the last number: 100 - 10 = 90. However, the correct answer is 91, as both endpoints are included in the set. (Or to put it another way, the sequence starts with 10, then there are 90 more numbers after that, giving a total of 91). This specific type of "off-by-one" error is called a {{w|Off-by-one error#Fencepost_error|fencepost error}}; as-in, a fence with ten fence segments will require eleven fenceposts to support it, but many may erroneously believe that it requires ten fenceposts (one post for each segment).
 In the title text, Cueball suggests a New Year's Eve party with the theme of "off-by-one errors", saying it's challenging to build off of but that he's heard of worse. No information is given as to what such a party theme would entail, nor what could possibly be a worse party theme. (On the other hand, the parties depicted in [[51: Malaria]] and [[829: Arsenic-Based Life]], based on themes of disease and poison, respectively, look much worse than an "off-by-one errors" party would likely be.)

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 An easy way to determine someone's age is to subtract their birth year from the current year. However, if their birthday has not happened yet that year, this calculation will predict them to be a year older than they actually are. By {{w|New Year's Eve}}, everybody's birthday has happened that year (or ''is'' happening, but legitimately tallied up), so this error will not occur. [[Cueball]] is excited by this, whereas most people would be more excited by the parties that typically occur around New Year's.
-"Off-by-one" errors are commonly made in computer programming, especially by novices, when looping over sets of objects. They can also appear in everyday life. If one is given a range of numbers, such as {10, 11, 12, ..., 99, 100}, a common error is to assume that the number of numbers in the range is the first number minus the last number: 100-10 = 90. However, the correct answer is 91 since both endpoints are included in the set. This specific type of "off-by-one" error is called a fencepost error.
+"Off-by-one" errors are commonly made in computer programming, especially by novices, when looping over sets of objects. They can also appear in everyday life. If one is given a range of numbers, such as {10, 11, 12, ..., 99, 100}, a common error is to assume that the number of numbers in the range is the first number minus the last number: 100-10 = 90. However, the correct answer is 91 since both endpoints are included in the set. This specific type of "off-by-one" error is called a fencepost error; as-in, a fence with ten fence segments will require eleven fenceposts to support it, but many may erroneously believe that it requires ten fenceposts (one post for each segment).
 In the title text, Cueball suggests a New Year's Eve party with the theme of "off-by-one errors", saying it's challenging to build off of but that he's heard of worse. No information is given as to what such a party theme would entail, nor what could possibly be a worse party theme. (On the other hand, the parties depicted in [[51: Malaria]] and [[829: Arsenic-Based Life]], based on themes of disease and poison, respectively, look much worse than an "off-by-one errors" party would likely be.)

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 "Off-by-one" errors are commonly made in computer programming, especially by novices, when looping over sets of objects. They can also appear in everyday life. If one is given a range of numbers, such as {10, 11, 12, ..., 99, 100}, a common error is to assume that the number of numbers in the range is the first number minus the last number: 100-10 = 90. However, the correct answer is 91 since both endpoints are included in the set. This specific type of "off-by-one" error is called a fencepost error.
-In the title text, Cueball suggests a New Year's Eve party with the theme of "off-by-one errors", saying it's challenging to build off of but that he's heard of wors. No information is given as to what such a party theme would entail, nor what could possibly be a worse party theme. (On the other hand, the parties depicted in [[51: Malaria]] and [[829: Arsenic-Based Life]], based on themes of disease and poison, respectively, look much worse than an "off-by-one errors" party would likely be.)
+In the title text, Cueball suggests a New Year's Eve party with the theme of "off-by-one errors", saying it's challenging to build off of but that he's heard of worse. No information is given as to what such a party theme would entail, nor what could possibly be a worse party theme. (On the other hand, the parties depicted in [[51: Malaria]] and [[829: Arsenic-Based Life]], based on themes of disease and poison, respectively, look much worse than an "off-by-one errors" party would likely be.)
 The idea of off-by-one errors for a New Year's Eve party is inspired by the numerous discussions about the time when the next decade starts, whether 2020 or 2021. [[2249: I Love the 20s]] also treats the subject directly.

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 "Off-by-one" errors are commonly made in computer programming, especially by novices, when looping over sets of objects. They can also appear in everyday life. If one is given a range of numbers, such as {10, 11, 12, ..., 99, 100}, a common error is to assume that the number of numbers in the range is the first number minus the last number: 100-10 = 90. However, the correct answer is 91 since both endpoints are included in the set. This specific type of "off-by-one" error is called a fencepost error.
-In the title text, Cueball suggests a New Year's Eve party with the theme of "off-by-one errors", saying it's challenging to build off of but that he's heard of worse themes. No information is given as to what such a party theme would entail, nor what could possibly be a worse party theme. (On the other hand, the parties depicted in [[51: Malaria]] and [[829: Arsenic-Based Life]], based on themes of disease and poison, respectively, look much worse than an "off-by-one errors" party would likely be.)
+In the title text, Cueball suggests a New Year's Eve party with the theme of "off-by-one errors", saying it's challenging to build off of but that he's heard of wors. No information is given as to what such a party theme would entail, nor what could possibly be a worse party theme. (On the other hand, the parties depicted in [[51: Malaria]] and [[829: Arsenic-Based Life]], based on themes of disease and poison, respectively, look much worse than an "off-by-one errors" party would likely be.)
 The idea of off-by-one errors for a New Year's Eve party is inspired by the numerous discussions about the time when the next decade starts, whether 2020 or 2021. [[2249: I Love the 20s]] also treats the subject directly.