Smaller entities are more likely to have outlier results.

· Bits and Bobs 11/4/25
  • Smaller entities are more likely to have outlier results.
    • Due to the law of large numbers, random noise is more and more likely to average to zero as you get more items.
      • It's possible to have a few random measurements that happen to align, but as the count gets higher it gets astronomically less likely.
    • Outliers can be good or bad.
      • But when comparing them to larger entities remember that it might be an illusion.
    • A lot of "this one small town is the best place on earth to live" style results are more about that random noise than about a real phenomenon.