Relative coordinates

Put the zero point somewhere that moves with the thing you're measuring, instead of a fixed origin. Every value becomes a distance from a local reference: yesterday, the group average, the nearest neighbor. Distinct from indexing to a baseline, where the origin stays frozen at the start.

Put the zero point somewhere that moves with the thing you're measuring, instead of a fixed origin. Every value becomes a distance from a local reference: yesterday, the group average, the nearest neighbor. Distinct from indexing to a baseline, where the origin stays frozen at the start.

Example

Instead of plotting your weight against zero pounds, plot each day as its gap from the trailing 30-day average. A reading of minus 1.4 says you're below your own recent norm, which tells you more than 178.6 does.