Calculations Used for the Knife Adapted Method of Handicapping
Figure 1 shows a sample race using the Knife Adapted Method. This method was designed by a member of our user community and programmed by QuickReckoning.
Figure 1 - The Knife Adapted Method
For information on navigating the options on this display, please refer to this section of the user's guide - "Standard Method".
Each column's calculations are described below. Keep in mind that scoring values are affected by the Scoring Method you select.
This method is an adaptation of the Knife Method. The difference is that each column is calculated by first performing the KNIFE method calculation, then each column is converted to 0-100% (100% being the best) by comparing each of the dogs to one another. This comparison is made in the following way.
The column data for each dog, calculated as in the Knife Method, are averaged, and a standard deviation is calculated using those dogs and that average. This value for standard deviation is added to the highest score and subtracted from the lowest score to create high an low limits for the scores for all the dogs. Then a dog's score is converted to a number between 0-100 by using the following equation -
Score = 100 - (dogs's Knife column calculations MINUS low limit) DIVIDED BY (high limit - low limit)
The highest score is the best score. This Knife Adapted Method score is similar to the "Normalized" Scoring Method - See "Select Scoring Method". In fact, if you select the Normalized/With Huge Divisor Scoring Method then the Knife Adapted and Knife Methods are identical. Even if you select the Normalized scoring they can often be identical. Keep this in mind as both method are similar.
Since a standard deviation is used and added to the top score and subtracted from the bottom score before percentages are calculated, no dog will ever be 100% and no dog will be 0%. Consider, therefore, that a dog above 80% is very good, and a dog below 20% is very bad. This method also provides a more precise picture of a dog as compared to the others when compared to the KNIFE method that rates dogs 1-8 using the Original Scoring Method.
RANK Average
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The rank is calculated by averaging all column values, applying the weighting
factors, and should equal a number from 0-100.