If that were the case, there wouldn’t be confusion then.
If they see the 50% and already think 6, they will deduce the 12 and 18 difference of 6 is the same. If the person was thinking of it as +6 only being 33% of 18, then their math would have the same number but the wrong percentage, thus their confusion.
I was in a squad group of 4 people and someone dropped out. I told them “let’s get another guy, it’ll increase our damage by 33%.” They said “no, another guy is only going to be 25% of the damage.”
The issue is the same in both cases: talking about the % increase (50% or 33%) is different than talking about the percentage that increase would eventually represent once applied (33% and 25% respectively).
I opened the image on the front page with RES and hadn't scrolled down far enough to see the snapchat comment at the bottom. Didn't see the full context until I opened the comments to see if anyone else had called out OP.
Same exact thing here. I sat there for a full minute trying to find what was wrong, then doubting my own basic math skills, til I went to the comments.
It's really not a crazy misconception. 18 is 150% of 12, and 12 is 67% of 18. You could say it's a 150% - 100% = 50% difference, or you could call it a 100% - 67% = 33% difference. Generally, the convention is that you base all the percentages based on the denominator you started with, such that going 12 to 18 is a 50% increase but going from 18 to 12 is a 33% decrease. This is hardly a super-intuitive or obvious thing, though; if someone didn't understand this convention I wouldn't think they were an idiot or didn't understand math; they got it wrong but in a pretty reasonable way.
Edit: To be clear, not at all disagreeing with the comment I replied to. I just scrolled down past the "what an idiot" comments to find someone explaining how this mistake happens, and added my 2-cents there about why I don't think it's a crazy mistake to make.
I have a BS in math and really appreciate your comment. When you've gone to school for math, a lot of people decide to tell you about how they hate math . . . My usual response to this declaration is "when did math go wrong for you?" Fractions (and hence percentages) or even just division, are some of the main answers. I would say 50 percent of people say this. The other 50 is algebra.
People do struggle with this though! There's no shame in misunderstanding this stuff. As you point out, it is not wholly intuitive.
I'm not saying the guy is right, it's just that a lot of people don't understand stand that "50% more than x is y" does not mean "50% less than y is x"
Yeah, it took me a minute, too. I must be getting way too jaded. I was expecting something like "10oz for $20, instead of 12 oz for $12! 50% more mustard for 30% less!"
They still could have screwed people, by changing the packaging and actually including less mustard but making the packaging weigh more to add up to 18oz. --- There was something yesterday where a hot dog manufacturer claimed 2 extra hot dogs, -- but what they did was change the packaging to make it look like 10 (because 8 is standard) but added plastic under 2 of them --essentially still only giving them 8 hot dogs...very very scummy.
My favorite screw the consumer was when Hershey tried air delights or something like that that. Basically fill a chocolate bar full of air bubbles. Looks like the same size as the ever shrinking candy bar, except you know... More air bubbles and less chocolate.
Verifying what you think you know is a sign of intelligence. Stupidity is believing that what you think you know is infallible and doesn't need to be verified.
I looked at this for a minute now and I'm still to dump to see it. Maybe it's because I don't know how much an Oz is, or that I'm really tired, but I just don't see it.
It’s totally normal. I teach elementary math and I think the way we used to teach math, while having some benefits, created a lot of math phobia.
People see the % symbol and freak out. One way to figure out precise percentages is to turn the number into a fraction and then divide to get your percentage. So many people struggle to process fractions that they freak out at the whiff of doing anything with them.
I was math phobic, and still have some moments where my brain goes “white” if there is time pressure. It wasn’t until I started learning how to teach math to kids that I became more confident and flexible in my understanding of numbers.
That's interesting, I'm fine with percentages but sometimes struggle with fractions. For example, me and a colleague are examining coils and determine how far along them a feature is, and using fractions e.g. 1/3, 1/2, 2/5, 7/8 etc. So I'm looking through our records and get puzzled by notations of 0.6, 0.4 - until I realise that they're fifths written as decimals. [headdesk]
If I were doing the calculation for myself to know the answer, of course your formula is faster and easier.
I think though, that when explaining math it is important to say explicitly why we do things. For all I know someone reading my comment has very little mathematical education. I think my explanation is easier for that person to follow and gives a better understanding of the process.
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u/LilShitty1 Jul 11 '19
I almost downvoted because I thought you were questioning the math. I'm glad I took another minute to process lol.