Author Topic: Numbers and Their Description.  (Read 2364 times)

Monketh

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Numbers and Their Description.
« on: October 20, 2006, 10:10:07 pm »
To some people, 80.000 might mean 80 trias and...0 cents. =/

It's not a problem if you're familiar with the European system.  It's just as valid as the American system, and since PS is an international community, we should be open to its use.

Following both number conventions in a community is bound to cause some confusion, at the least.
AFAIR the number "two-thousand and three tenths" would be expressed as follows in the different systems:
American - 2,000.3
European - 2.000,3
Calculator (Am) - 2000.3
Scientific notation (Am) - 2.0003 x 10^3

Which brings up several questions.
1. What about the rest of the world?  Asia?  Africa?
2. Which should we, as a community, use to prevent confusion?
3. Does the European system use a comma (,) for scientific notation?

I prefer the American system.  Why?  I'm an American.  It "just seems logical."
Generally, I have stuck to the system American calculators use, as it causes less confusion when fewer than 8 (or so) places are used.
(Though meters, liters, and grams are obviously superior to the imperial system.)
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Bereror

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2006, 10:33:56 pm »
I guess the difference comes from different languages. In my native language (Estonian) 2.3 would be translated to English as two comma three and therefore we write it 2,3. 2000.3 would be officially written as 2 000,3 (see the space between 2 and 000), but we almost never use the space there except when writing down monetary values.

I have learned that the easiest way to avoid mistakes is to skip the thousands separator. 80000 should be quite clear for everybody, especially when other options areĀ  80,000 or 80.000. Or you can write it 80 000 ;)
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Kiirani

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2006, 10:36:08 pm »
New Zealand uses the "American system" so of course that's my preference :P

I'd just ask for the number written in full if confused, myself. (Twenty thousand rather than 20,000 or 20.000 or however else it could be expressed)

Edit: Bereror, at some point it starts to get hard to count the zeros without physically pointing at each and counting (at least for me). Perhaps not at 80k, but getting into the millions..

eldoth_terevan

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2006, 10:59:47 pm »
I think noting thousands with the 'k' seems to work best in game. 100000 tria just becomes 100k. No matter what country we are from, most of us understand this convention. IMHO

Kezzik

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2006, 11:03:27 pm »
1,234,567,890

one billion, two hundred and thirty four million, five hundred and sixty seven thousand, eight hundred and ninety.

UK uses commas then decimal points.

as for ingame, I try to avoid hitting 123 etc, if i need to say a value I'd rather say "a hundred thosuand" or "five thousand three hundred and ninety seven tria total, that comes to twenty one circles, three octa, four hexa and seven tria"

it's a good thing I don;t sell much to players x]

LigH

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #5 on: October 21, 2006, 12:09:27 am »
Apropos Billions:

Americans count: Trillions Billions Millions Thousands.
Germans count: Billions Milliards Millions Thousands.

Strange but true. ;)

So if we read about billions of money, we imagine a thousand times a big amount.

Unfortunately, the debts of Germany really are one and a half german "Billion Euros", means: Almost two american "Trillion Dollars" worth.
__

P.S.: You can (unfortunately?) often read "80K tria" as 80 thousand, related to "kilo".
« Last Edit: October 21, 2006, 12:11:48 am by LigH »

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Kiirani

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2006, 12:10:35 am »
My circle/octa/hexa/tria is terrible these days. I used to know it well :(

Kezzik

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2006, 12:51:27 am »
doesn't matter 'cause im theone giving you money xD

Goldir

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2006, 01:27:26 am »
I may be an american, but I love me some Metric system.  It just seems more logical and in my opinion, has a higher degree of accuracy. 
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Monketh

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2006, 03:40:48 am »
I may be an american, but I love me some Metric system.  It just seems more logical and in my opinion, has a higher degree of accuracy. 

If you read the initial post, you would notice that this is not a discussion of imperial vs metric units.  This is a discussion on the expression of the figures themselves.  Please read the first post.  (The metric system is unquestionably superior anyway, so there's no need to hash over that.)

Anywho:
Hexa - 10T
Octa - 50T
Circle - 250T
The key to manipulative bargaining is to ask for something twice as big as what you want, then smile and nod when you are talked down to your original wish. You are still young, my apprentice, and have much to learn in the ways of the force. -UtM

Drey

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2006, 12:37:01 pm »
spaces every three numbers in from the right then . for decimal place, k means thousand and nothing more.

then again, my writing of numbers is terrible.. and im  a maths student >.>
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Croconil

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2006, 12:55:56 pm »
doesn't matter 'cause im theone giving you money xD

XD

Rofl Kezzik.

Yeah, in England, we would type 1,000,000, as Kezzik said, using commas instead of decimal points.

LARAGORN

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2006, 01:47:13 pm »
I do like the idea of omitting the coma's and decimals as sugested. 80 000
from personal experience, the 'K' seems to be very widely understood, 80K
I think we should have a Poll to see the most favored system.

Yes?  No ?

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miadon

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #13 on: October 21, 2006, 04:10:19 pm »
we all should use the words rather than the numbers, I am guilty of using numbers but I try not to.

People should also try to avoid using the lowest denomination of currency when selling stuff. In real life people don't say, this *item* is selling for 10,000 pence they say 100 pounds.

So PS equivalent might be:

*item* selling for 1,200 Octas! instead of 60,000 Tria!
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Drey

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Re: Numbers and Their Description.
« Reply #14 on: October 21, 2006, 04:44:16 pm »
we all should use the words rather than the numbers, I am guilty of using numbers but I try not to.

letters should be used for 1-10 after that you're free to use numbers :p
<Rux> i wish i could say that narrows it down, but the internet is one freaky place