Every now and then I'd like to know some typical numbers (mostly concerning cells) but I regularly get as an answer that these numbers are not well defined and depend on a) the type of cell, and b) too many other circumstances and factors (which is perfectly clear to me), so an answer could only be given when I specify all of these circumstances and factors, otherwise the question is too broad.
But that's not what I want: I am looking for a general answer, to get a feel for ranges and orders of magnitude.
Here are some of such questions:
A perfect answer I am looking for would go like this:
"X-cells in hibernate mode produce only some tens of proteins per second, Y-cells in normal mode produce some thousands of proteins per second (which is also the average number over all cells in normal mode), but Z-cells under extreme conditions (e.g. so-and-so) produce up to some hundreds of thousands of proteins per second."
But more often than not I get the mantra-like answer: "Specify which type of cell in which region in which state of development under which conditions! Only then your question can be answered."
I am looking for a way to ask my questions such that they have a good chance to be answered without doing so.
Asking just for an average number would not make much sense. To ask for a typical and somehow average model neuron would give no feel for possible extremes. So I would tend to make explicit in each and every question that I am looking for
the range of a given number (e.g. number of proteins per second)
not restricted to a given type of (human) cells and to specific circumstances and conditions
with lower and upper bounds as powers of ten,
one specific example (with respect to cell type and conditions) for the lower and for the upper bound,
optionally some sensible average number (if ready to hand),
optionally/additionally some arbitrary examples (with respect to cell type and conditions), especially when no extreme cases are ready to hand
Since this would be cumbersome and would blow-up the questions unnecessarily, I'd like to know a technical term which is much shorter but unequivocal and would prevent my questions from being closed as too broad, too unspecific, or otherwise unappropriate.