[common] A value or parameter that is varied in an ad hoc way to
produce the desired result. The terms tolerance and {slop} are also
used, though these usually indicate a one-sided leeway, such as a
buffer that is made larger than necessary because one isn't sure
exactly how large it needs to be, and it is better to waste a little
space than to lose completely for not having enough. A fudge factor,
on the other hand, can often be tweaked in more than one direction. A
good example is the fuzz typically allowed in floating-point
calculations: two numbers being compared for equality must be allowed
to differ by a small amount; if that amount is too small, a
computation may never terminate, while if it is too large, results
will be needlessly inaccurate. Fudge factors are frequently adjusted
incorrectly by programmers who don't fully understand their import.
See also {coefficient of X}.
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {coefficient of X}{slop}{tweak}]