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Subject:Re: Order of Magnitude From:Pat Anderson <panders -at- aw -dot- sgi -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 22 Apr 2002 11:29:38 -0400
"Order of magnitude" has been around for quite a while, but its use has been more confined to scientific realms in the past.
To increase something by an order of magnitude, put a zero on the end of it.
For example, if your typing speed was 20 words a minute, in order to increase it by an order of magnitude, you'd have to be able to type 200 words per minute...
2-3 times improvements aren't an order of magnitude.
...pat.
Steve Goldberg wrote:
>I think 'order of magnitude' is a relatively new use of jargon and am
>grappling with how best to word it.
>My application increases speed by 2 to 3 times; so do I say:
>
>* We increase speed by an order of magnitude of 2-3 times;
>
>* Speed is increased by 2-3 orders of magnitude(s);
>
>* Speed is increased (order of magnitude x 2)
>
>Any ideas would be appreciated.
>
>TIA,
>
>Steve
>
Pat Anderson,
Documentation Manager, Design Products
Alias|Wavefront
tel: (416) 874-8375
email: panders -at- aw -dot- sgi -dot- com http://www.aliaswavefront.com
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