08 April 2009

Statistical clutter

Sounds bad, doesn't it? The Herald reports:
Scotland's coastline is the messiest in the UK with an average of one piece of litter for every 15 inches of beach, according to new figures.

Wait a minute, though. If the average depth of beach were 100 feet (and I have no idea whether this is accurate but it would not seem unreasonable), then the above might be expressed as an average of one piece of litter per 125 square feet. Now that does not sound good but it's not as appalling as one piece of litter per 15 inches.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where I used to stay down in Ayr, the beach was polluted for years until they built a massive sewage pipe, only for the thing to burst, sending crap all over the shoreline.

I also remember being forced into the water on a freezing spring day in troon, only to see a shitey nappy float right by my head

subrosa said...

The East Neuk was similar, sewerage everywhere. Haven't been for a few years so don't know if it's been cleaned up.