Why do we count the initial number when we say something is X times bigger?
In: 42
1 times **the size** = the same size.
2 times the size = twice the size… which is twice as big… and 2 times bigger than 1. But that doesn’t mean SQUARED.
The way it’s phrased can confuse the math of it all.
Because it is a multiple of the current amount. If something is 100 and something else is 2x larger it will be 100*2= 200 IF you do you can have some in 0.5 the amount and then you have 100*0.5=50
You can something is 200% larger than it is an addition and you have 100 + 100* 2 = 300
The answer is simply “why not?”
There is inherent problem with it. To the contrary, if you want to calculate the new size, you just multiply the old size with the number before “times”. Otherwise you would first need to add 1 to the factor, or add the original size at the end, both extra effort.
And if you want to do it the other way, there even is already language for it: “larger by X times (it’s size)” or “smaller by Y percent”. This makes sense when you want to focus on the loss/gain/difference.
It would also be inconveniently weird for shrinking. Instead of “one third as large” or “1/3 times the size”, we would need to say/write “minus two thirds larger” or “larger by -2/3 times (its size)”. Negative numbers for no good reason, and definitely confusing.
Edit: clarity.
Because that’s how numbers and multiplication work. The number 50 is two times bigger than the number 25. 25*2=50. I’m deeply confused as to what you think the alternative is.
Think of it in terms of how many you have, rather than a multiplication.
So think of it with a single cookie.
If you have 5 x the original number of cookies, you now have 5 cookies. You still have the original cookie, plus 4 more.
If you have 2 x the original number of cookies, you now have 2 cookies. The original one, plus one more.
As an editor of math textbooks, I remove imprecise language such as “*x* times bigger”. It’s clearer to use a phrase such as “*x* times as large as” or “*x* times the size of”.
It’s an imprecise use of language. We use two phrases interchangably:
1. Twice as big as
2. Two times bigger than
But actually, the literal meaning is not the same. “Bigger than” refers to the *difference*, while “as big as” refers to the total size.
But, as many people here have said, that’s not how the everyday usage is.
The first initial number 1 would mean 1:1 scale. So 2 times bigger is 2:1 scale.
That’s just how I take it- as an average guy with no specialization in a field tied to this.
You could think of it like math too 1x any number = said number. But 2 x any number is twice as much.
It depends on who you ask.
* What’s 20% bigger than 100? People will answer 120.
* What’s one time bigger than 100? People will answer 200.
* What’s two times bigger than 100? People will answer 200… unless you just asked them the previous two questions, in which case they’ll realize it should be 300.
They key is the word “bigger.” Bigger means “more than” or “in addition to.” 5 more than 1 is 6. 5 1’s is 5. 5 times as big as 1 = 5 x 1 = 5.
Let’s use “5 times MORE THAN 1” as an example.
That would be (5×1) MORE THAN 1. 5 more than 1 is six. I understand that it is common for people to say things that they don’t mean. But this is just math, where opinions don’t really matter. Math only cares about what is literally written down, not how one may interpret that writing.
Latest Answers