It's true:Sods Law does exist

by Sarah Mills It isn't a myth - the phone really does ring as soon as you get into the bath and you are much more likely to spill something down your new clothes just before you go on a first date. Now scientists have come up with a formula for the phenomenon known as Sod's Law: ((U+C+I) x (10-S)/20 x A x 1/(1-sin(F/10)). The theory was formed after an economist,psychologist and mathematcian,commissioned by British Gas,looked at the experiences of 1,000 people and examined five factors - Urgency (U),Complexity (C),Importance (I),Skill (S) and Frequency (F) - to show that if something goes wrong it will go wrong at the worst possible time.They applied a score of between one and nine to each factor,added a 0.7 score for aggravation (A) and then used the formula to find a Sod's Law rating of between 0 and 10. What are the chances of that? Event Sods Law likelihood Annoyance rating 1. You spill something down yourself before a date 8.5 7.4 2. Your boiler breaks down during a cold snap 8.2 7.8 3. Rush-hour is worse when you are already late 7.3 6.9 4. E-mail crashes as you send an important document 7.0 5.4 5. Washing machine breaks down before your holiday 6.7 7.2v 6. Cooker packs up when you are expecting guests 6.4 7.0 7. Shower runs cold as you shampoo your hair 6.0 6.2 8. Doorbell or phone ring as you get in bath/shower 5.3 5.2 9. Someone you're gossiping about overhears you 4.6 4.7 10. Spare lightbulb never matches the one that failed 4.4 3.4 [Metro Oct7 2004]