A rule of thumb is a principle with broad application that is not intended to be strictly accurate or reliable for every situation. It is an easily learned and easily applied procedure for approximately calculating or recalling some value, or for making some determination. Compare this to heuristic, a similar concept used in mathematical discourse, psychology, and computer science, particularly in algorithm design.
Read more about Rule Of Thumb: Origin of The Phrase, Thumb As Measurement Device, Thumb Used For Regulation, Examples of Usage
Famous quotes containing the words rule and/or thumb:
“The daughter of debate, that eke discord doth sow,
Shall reap no gain where former rule hath taught still peace to
grow.
No foreign banished wight shall anchor in this port;
Our realm it brooks no stranger’s force, let them elsewhere resort.”
—Elizabeth I (1533–1603)
“I had a consuming ambition to possess a miller’s thumb. I believe I have never since wanted anything more desperately than I wanted my right thumb to be flattened as my father’s had become, during his earlier years of a miller’s life.”
—Jane Addams (1860–1935)