Re: spelled out numbers

["Huber, Mike" <mrhuber -at- SOFTWARE -dot- ROCKWELL -dot- COM>]

Besides the speed of reading, there is the fact that numerals tend to
stand out form the text, making them easier to find.
And numbers are things that people are likely to be looking for. The
documents I write are more often skimmed than read.

The next two paragraphs are examples based on the message I'm replying
to. As a quick usability study, skim the paragraphs to find out how many
numbers I'm talking about. The paragraphs are identical except for the
use of digits and written-out numbers.

I think speed of processing numbers compared to words has a lot to do
with the surrounding material. If you have a lot of numbers and
confusing punctuation, spelling out helps ease the reading. I think
speed of processing numbers compared to words has a lot to do with the
surrounding material. If you have a lot of numbers, like maybe twenty,
and confusing punctuation, spelling out helps ease the reading. I think
speed of processing numbers compared to words has a lot to do with the
surrounding material. If you have a lot of numbers and confusing
punctuation, spelling out helps ease the reading.I think speed of
processing numbers compared to words has a lot to do with the
surrounding material. If you have a lot of numbers and confusing
punctuation, spelling out helps ease the reading.

I think speed of processing numbers compared to words has a lot to do
with the surrounding material. If you have a lot of numbers and
confusing punctuation, spelling out helps ease the reading. I think
speed of processing numbers compared to words has a lot to do with the
surrounding material. If you have a lot of numbers, like maybe 20, and
confusing punctuation, spelling out helps ease the reading. I think
speed of processing numbers compared to words has a lot to do with the
surrounding material. If you have a lot of numbers and confusing
punctuation, spelling out helps ease the reading. I think speed of
processing numbers compared to words has a lot to do with the
surrounding material. If you have a lot of numbers and confusing
punctuation, spelling out helps ease the reading.

I avoid the kinds of numbers that Barb suggests spelling out, except for
"one." If the reader needs to know a number, I express it in digits. If
the reader doesn't need to know a number, I remove it. "One" is a
special case. In the example "refer to one of these two documents" it
isn't exactly being used as a number - "either" could be used as well.

As with any specific rule of writing, the details of the project (user
needs, what I'm documenting, consistency with other writers, etc.) can
override my usual way of handling numbers.

---
mike -dot- huber -at- software -dot- rockwell -dot- com
Home: nax -at- execpc -dot- com


>-----Original Message-----
>From:  Barb Philbrick [SMTP:caslonsvcs -at- IBM -dot- NET]
>
>I spell out numbers when referring to items, such as "there are three
>doo-witzits" or "refer to one of these two documents."
>
>When referring to units of measure, I use the number. For example, I'd
>use "4-20 mA" or "2 feet."
>
>I think speed of processing numbers compared to words has a lot to do
>with the surrounding material. If you have a lot of numbers and
>confusing punctuation, spelling out helps ease the reading. For
>example, we use some hideous combos to refer to specific drives --
>10-50HP @230VAC/5-25 @ 460 VAC -- so around these phrases I like to
>use words instead of numbers to ease the shock. I'd say "If you are
>connecting two 10-50HP @230VAC/5-25 @ 460 VAC drives" rather than "If
>you are connecting 2 10-50HP @230VAC/5-25 @ 460 VAC drives," even
>though the second one breaks bunches of rules about numbering.
>