April’s 0.3 percent rate drop from 10.8 percent to 10.5 percent kept pace with other major counties, the region and state overall. -- John Nagy*A decline from 10.8 to 10.5 is not a 0.3 percent drop, it is a 3 percent drop:
[ 0.3/10.8 = 0.028 ]
* Referred to in the article's online byline as a "staff writer" but on his biography page at the N&R web site as "business editor."
Yeah, it's a 0.3-percentage-point drop. Annoyingly frequent mistake, even among people who are smarter, or at least better educated, than a fifth-grader.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the old fella who sold chickens by the side of the road.
ReplyDeleteHe bought the chickens for a dollar and sold them for two.
He said he made a livin' just fine with that 1% profit.
re: 0.3 percent drop v. 0.3-percentage-point drop
ReplyDeletewhat? what does that even mean? never mind. don't tell me. dude, math makes me want to throw up. thank Jesus they let me substitute computer programming for math in college, or i would have never graduated. love you, smarties! :)
[[thank Jesus they let me substitute computer programming for math in college, or i would have never graduated.]]
ReplyDeleteOK, now, THAT's funny. :-)
why is it funny? it's true.
ReplyDeleteTo this English major, math = programming = incomprehensible. :-)
ReplyDeletei was also an english major. programming = words = i can do it!!
ReplyDelete