How much pee is in our swimming pools? Up to 75 liters, it turns out. Which seems like a lot—until you realize that it’s only about .009 percent.
Which seems positively infinitesimal, until you realize that .009 percent is about four teaspoons of pee in a 55-gallon drum of water. Would you drink from that? Me neither.
Here’s a little more perspective:
• rivers and lakes make up about .009 percent of Earth’s water
• .009 percent is the CPSC’s limit for lead in paint or surface coatings
• driving impairment can begin at blood alcohol levels as low as .009 percent
On the other hand, back in October, “analytics guru and political prognosticator” Nate Silver claimed that only about .009 percent of the world’s data is actually useful—while at the same time predicting that the Cubs would lose the 2016 World Series and that Democrats would win a majority of U.S. Senate seats in the upcoming election.
Guess Mr. Silver should’ve paid closer attention to the less-useful 99.991 percent.
