Numbers
Our society cannot get enough numbers. They quantify and distinguish with infinite precision. “Bob tried to start the car three times.” Why not four, two, or one-half? Number three precisely describes Bob’s tenacity and the status of the car. Yet, only readers who use cars can appreciate this number. Fifty car starting attempts are too much.
Many concepts can only be described with numbers, such as the time. “Fred needed fourteen minutes to complete his task.” The reader can now precisely comprehend Fred’s frustration, time management, and time investment level.
Humans love to round numbers. “How many nails do you have? About a hundred.” Why not, “Exactly 98.” “Over 112.” Sometimes, we round to even, tens, or fives. “That took over 20 minutes.” “The speed is 55 miles per hour.” “It’s 50 kilometers to Chicago.” “We need twelve eggs.” Has anybody ever needed eleven or thirteen eggs?
We also need to correlate our numbers. Fifteen minutes is not enough time to walk to school. $100 is too high. Wow, 310 pounds is too heavy. Numbers allow us to have descriptions with great precision and quickly show flaws. For example, Bob cannot start his car 3.5 times but can weigh 99.123 pounds.
Humans cling to strange numerical beliefs. Seven is a lucky number. Thirteen is unlucky. Cats have nine lives. We even have a numerical religion/belief called Numerology, meaning believers must have their weddings on a specific day. Houses may not be purchased with a street number containing a nine. Being born on the first day of a month is a bad sign.
As a writer, I think a lot about numbers. What is a good number of attempts for Bob to start his car? How would my character react to spending $120? How long does a task take? Sally finished her minimum wage job and paid $500 for a burger. It is a perfectly valid sentence, yet readers easily spot the error. Thus, a writer must choose an appropriate number to fit the situation.
Numerical errors are easily identified; a less-than-perfect number will annoy readers. Yet, numbers represent power. A writer may define characters with extreme precision. Bob tried to start the car over 100 times. What a fighter!
Yet, there is an unresolved problem with writing sentences that contain numbers. The rules are not ironclad. For example, these two sentences are valid: “Fifty-five is too much.” “55 is too much.” And so are these: “The fifties was a fun time.” “The ‘50s was a fun time.” “The 1950s was a fun time.”
I have learned that the most critical aspect of writing numbers is to be consistent. Here are my general rules: Never start a sentence with a numerical number. “55 is too much.” Spell out numbers under twenty and use numerals for the rest. “The total is fifteen.” “The total is 55.” Use dashes between words. “Fifty-five”
However, there are rules that I am not sure about. Use 5%. Use five-percent. Use #5. Use number five. It is ~5. It is approximately five. The temperature is 5ºC. The temperature is five degrees Celsius. The tolerance is ±5. The tolerance is +/-5.
Fortunately, one thing is clear. The ending of this article required one sentence.
You’re the best -Bill
November 06 2019 Updated October 05, 2024
Many concepts can only be described with numbers, such as the time. “Fred needed fourteen minutes to complete his task.” The reader can now precisely comprehend Fred’s frustration, time management, and time investment level.
Humans love to round numbers. “How many nails do you have? About a hundred.” Why not, “Exactly 98.” “Over 112.” Sometimes, we round to even, tens, or fives. “That took over 20 minutes.” “The speed is 55 miles per hour.” “It’s 50 kilometers to Chicago.” “We need twelve eggs.” Has anybody ever needed eleven or thirteen eggs?
We also need to correlate our numbers. Fifteen minutes is not enough time to walk to school. $100 is too high. Wow, 310 pounds is too heavy. Numbers allow us to have descriptions with great precision and quickly show flaws. For example, Bob cannot start his car 3.5 times but can weigh 99.123 pounds.
Humans cling to strange numerical beliefs. Seven is a lucky number. Thirteen is unlucky. Cats have nine lives. We even have a numerical religion/belief called Numerology, meaning believers must have their weddings on a specific day. Houses may not be purchased with a street number containing a nine. Being born on the first day of a month is a bad sign.
As a writer, I think a lot about numbers. What is a good number of attempts for Bob to start his car? How would my character react to spending $120? How long does a task take? Sally finished her minimum wage job and paid $500 for a burger. It is a perfectly valid sentence, yet readers easily spot the error. Thus, a writer must choose an appropriate number to fit the situation.
Numerical errors are easily identified; a less-than-perfect number will annoy readers. Yet, numbers represent power. A writer may define characters with extreme precision. Bob tried to start the car over 100 times. What a fighter!
Yet, there is an unresolved problem with writing sentences that contain numbers. The rules are not ironclad. For example, these two sentences are valid: “Fifty-five is too much.” “55 is too much.” And so are these: “The fifties was a fun time.” “The ‘50s was a fun time.” “The 1950s was a fun time.”
I have learned that the most critical aspect of writing numbers is to be consistent. Here are my general rules: Never start a sentence with a numerical number. “55 is too much.” Spell out numbers under twenty and use numerals for the rest. “The total is fifteen.” “The total is 55.” Use dashes between words. “Fifty-five”
However, there are rules that I am not sure about. Use 5%. Use five-percent. Use #5. Use number five. It is ~5. It is approximately five. The temperature is 5ºC. The temperature is five degrees Celsius. The tolerance is ±5. The tolerance is +/-5.
Fortunately, one thing is clear. The ending of this article required one sentence.
You’re the best -Bill
November 06 2019 Updated October 05, 2024
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