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0.432 error is not 43.2% error

Posted By: Timothy Chow
Date: Thursday, 23 May 2013, at 5:28 p.m.

In Response To: 0.432 error is not 43.2% error (mtuhtan)

The first time I heard Phil using percentages in this way, I also thought it was confusing and potentially misleading.

But upon further reflection, I think that strictly speaking there isn't anything wrong with Phil's usage. Strictly speaking, "percent" just means that you divide by 100. So 0.432 and 43.2% should be formally interchangeable in any context.

Still, although strictly speaking there's no difference between 0.432 and 43.2%, I still think it's misleading here, because when you hear "percent" you immediately think "percent of what?" Here it's the percent of the cash value of the game, but there are other things that the listener might think that it's a percentage of, so the wrong impression can easily be created. It's also not the way any other backgammon player I know of talks.

Messages In This Thread

• Videos
  Phil Simborg -- Thursday, 23 May 2013, at 1:01 a.m.
  • *Like*
    tem_sat -- Thursday, 23 May 2013, at 1:34 a.m.
  • Videos
    AP -- Thursday, 23 May 2013, at 1:42 p.m.
  • 0.432 error is not 43.2% error *NM*
    mtuhtan -- Thursday, 23 May 2013, at 2:09 p.m.
    • 0.432 error is not 43.2% error
      rew -- Thursday, 23 May 2013, at 2:21 p.m.
      • 0.432 error is not 43.2% error
        Bob Koca -- Thursday, 23 May 2013, at 2:29 p.m.
        • 0.432 error is not 43.2% error
          mtuhtan -- Thursday, 23 May 2013, at 3:01 p.m.
          • 0.432 error is not 43.2% error
            Timothy Chow -- Thursday, 23 May 2013, at 5:28 p.m.