Subj : Re: Off Topic (was: MS XCOPY v 4DOS internal COPY)
To   : Outsider
From : meirman
Date : Wed Feb 06 2002 07:45 am

From: meirman@f3.n342.z1.cereal.mv.com (meirman)
Subject: Re: Off Topic (was: MS XCOPY v 4DOS internal COPY)

From: meirman@invalid.com

In comp.os.msdos.4dos on Wed, 06 Feb 2002 11:32:20 +0100 Outsider
<nonvalid_email@yahoo.com> posted:

>meirman@invalid.com wrote:
>>
>> In comp.os.msdos.4dos on 6 Feb 2002 04:26:10 GMT
>> Jasen.Betts@xspamp42.f531.n640.z3.fidonet.org posted:
>
>...snipped
>This is really off topic, but sure is a lot better than senseless
>fighting :).
>
>> >about 2-1/2 times faster, that's pretty impressive.
>
>> OT  A lot of people say it this way but I believe it should be "2-1/2
>> times as fast".**   Otherwise, what would "one time faster" mean?
>
>1*1=1  so one time faster is the same speed, no? I think "faster" is
>incorrect in this context.

It's a puzzle all right.  To give you more to think about, let me suggest that
"one time faster" correlates to 1+1=2, not to 1*1.

And 2 times faster correlates to X+2X.  What ever follows the + sign is the
amount it is faster than X.

Whereas 2 or 10 times as much correlates to 2*X or 10*x, respectively.

>> **Or 1-1/2 times faster.
>
>
>> >It should be about 10 times faster than that bat, and does the same thing.
>
>> Here, where you may mean 10 times as fast or 9 times faster, it
>> doesn't matter so much.  Proportionally, there's not such a big
>> difference.
>
>I think it depends on how you phrase it.
>
>1) Batch A at 100 seconds. Batch B at 133 seconds
>100 seconds increased by 33% is 133, or 1-1/3 * 100.
>100 * 33% = 133
>
>2) Batch A at 133 seconds. Batch B at 100 seconds
>133 seconds decreased by 25% is 100, or 3/4 * 133.
>133 - 25% = 100

You're right, but I think that's a different trap that is so easy to fall into.

>--------------
>
>1a)
>The runtime of batch A has increased by 33% (1.3 times) in batch B

 *to* 1.3 times [the original value].  It only increased .3 times or
by .3 times.

>which makes batch B 33% slower than A, and batch A 25% faster than B.
>
>
>2a)
>The runtime of batch A has decreased by 25% (0.75 times) in batch B

 *to* 0.75 times.

>which makes batch B 25% faster than A, and batch A 33% slower than B.

Right

>Someone correct me if I made a mistake.

Nope, except maybe for the 2 parts in parentheses.


You're right, we need a linguistics expert. :)

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