Quantifying the unquantifiable

I subscribe to Dilbert on my google web page (god bless those guys!) on a recent strip, I saw the pointy haired boss ordering Asok to quantify the soft pudgy things their department was doing. The war cry being 'Quantify the unquantifiable'. This strip did not meet the general standards of hilarity that Dilbert has but this became specially amusing when later in the afternoon, I attended a session on a 'mathematical' modeling technique called AHP - Analytical Hierarchy Process. This was invented by some hotshot analyst (read a guy who got really lucky in selling his set of bullshit and point of views and prejudices) . This is supposed to be a really advanced technique to compare things that are hard to compare. For more details click here.

For a broad overview, you do the following:

Step 1: Define the scale of rating. The scale should be in an arithmatic progression.
Step 2: Define the parameters on which the comparisons are to be made.
Step 3: Mark the parameters relatively according to the scale decided in step one. (eg: P1 vs P2, P1 vs P3, P2 vs P3 .... )
Step 4: Now add all the column elements and normalize the matrix by dividing every column element by the column sum.
Step 5: Find the row averages of the matrix obtained above. These are the final weights.
Step 6: Finally rate the comparables on the parameters decided according to another scale (I used a 1-5 scale. This could be anything you like as long as in progression. This scale is not the same as the first one)
Step 7: Multiply each parameter rating to its calculated weight and finally find the total score for the comparables.
Step 8: Pat yourself on the back. You have just finished your first simple AHP model.

To put this amazingly complex sounding technique, I decided to compare five metal bands. The detailed analysis is listed below. Click on the pictures for a full view.

Defining the scale:

Rating Meaning
1 - Row objective is the same as column objective
2 - Row objective is a little more important than the column objective
3 - Row objective is moderately more important than the column objective
4 - Row objective is strongly more important than the column objective
5 - Row objective is absolutely more important than the column objective


Bands under review:

Children of Bodom




Cradle of Filth




Cryptopsy






Morbid Angel










Cannibal Corpse








Parameters under review:

1) Projection of death as a theme
2) Mention of hell/satan/angles
3) Mention of pain
4) Logo coolness quotient
5) Logo unreadability

Analysis:



Final Results:



So it is quite clear. With a score of 13.65, cradle of filth is the best metchul band. Now you know which black T-Shirt to buy. It's mathematically proven!!