A number is tricky thing. As a technical writer you have to pay attention to the way you are using numbers and expressing changes in ratios and percentages.
For example, when you say "the file size shrunk by 100%" you are basically saying this: "The file has just disappeared!" Is that what you really wanted to say?
If a 4 Meg file shrunk to 2 Meg in size, it shrunk by 2 Megs.
What was the original file size? 4 Meg.
When you divide 2 by 4 you get 0.5, correct?
Multiply that by 100 to get a percentage - and you get 50% (not 100%)
Here is a good rule to find out the percentage changes in file sizes:
1) Start with the original size (O).
2) Subtract the final size (F) from O to find the difference (D).
3) Divide D with O and multiply by 100. That's your correct percent difference.
You can apply this not only to "file size" but ANY quantifiable and measurable change as well.
For example, imagine you moved from a house that cost $120,000 to one that cost $176,000. How much more expensive the new house is?
1) O (original cost of [the old] house): $120,000
2) F (final cost of [the new] house): $176,000
3) D (difference in the costs of two houses): $56,000
4) Percent difference: (56/120) x 100 = 46.6%
The new house is 46.6% more expensive than the old one.
When you are describing a process that takes "twice as long," or "two-times slower," do not write "the process is now 200% slower" because that would be incorrect.
The correct expression would be: "the process is now "100% slower". Here is why:
1) O (original process duration): 24 minutes
2) F (final process duration): 48 minutes
3) D (difference in duration): 24 minutes
4) Percent difference: (24/24) x 100 = 100%
If you are interested to read more about technical writing as a career and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"
Dr. Ugur Akinci is a Fortune 500 Sr. Technical Communicator http://www.technicalcommunicationcenter.com/
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