The Cone of Uncertainty
When the Weather Service is showing the course they are predicting for an approaching tropical storm or hurricane, they use a cone shape on the map. It is sometimes called “the cone of uncertainty”. My daughter jokingly calls it the cone of death, because it is used in such a threatening context. Her thought is that the Weather Service map was implying anyone located within the cone was in dire danger.
I told her that I like the name, “the cone of uncertainty”. The people who are certain are the scary ones. We all live within the cone of uncertainty, and there is no shame in that. If you ever think you are in a cone of certainty, you are in for a surprise sooner of later, even if you believe it with all of your heart.
Check out a Cone of Uncertainty: http://www.intellicast.com/Storm/Hurricane/Active.aspx?storm=1&type=track
