Quote:
Originally posted by nostatic
estimation is an important skill for real scientists. It is not a "liberal arts plot." Hate to burst your bubble...
If they asked for 2 significant digits, 360 actually is the right answer 
I can't tell you the number of times I had students give dumbass answers because they did not understand orders of magnitude or approximation. A good science student should be able to look at a complex equation and give you a quick guestimate of the answer.
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This is one of the best lessons I learned in science. Our first quiz in Geophysics had questions like, "How many ping-pong balls are there in a suitcase?", and "How many piano tuners are there in New York City?" We were only to come up with orders of magnitude.
It drives me crazy when I see a geologist give data with a few significant figures, thinking they matter, when an order of magnitude is about as accurate as you can possibly get.
This same argument can be used to argue the merits of computer models that predict climate scenarios over the next 100 years.