Re: PDF File Size using FM6 and Acrobat 3.05

[Dan Emory <danemory@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 09:34 AM 2/27/01 -0500, Donald F. Pratt wrote:


>Dan: From many years of experience, I've come to believe that reality and the
>language we use to describe it are not completely unrelated, and that there is
>not and could not be such a thing as a 300% reduction.
>Don
================================================
The problem is the intuitive disconnect between language and
mathematical reality for the "average" citizen, who, in this country
today, probably means someone who had difficulty when fractions
were introduced in Junior High math class, and, because of that
bad experience, dropped all math courses at the first opportunity.

Again, looking at the mathematically rigorous method:

P = (A - B)/A x 100, where the change is always relative to the base number A.

Case 1 - If B = 4 and A = 1, then the percentage increase of B compared to 
A is -300%

Case 2 - if B = 1 and A = 4, then the percentage reduction of B compared to 
A is +75%

Now, that "average" citizen, with a language disconnect when it comes to 
mathematics,
would fall back on intuition and conclude that the 300% increase in Case 1 
represents a
much greater change than the 75% reduction in Case 2, and would also 
certainly be
confused about the sign (minus for anything > 100%, plus for anything < 
100%), which
is why the sign is always discarded.

Under the alternative method I used:

P = (A - B)/B x 100, where the base number B is always the smaller number

Case 1 would be expressed as a 300% increase, and Case 2 would be expressed 
as a
300% reduction, because the smaller number is always used as the base number.

Is it mathematically rigorous? Absolutely not. Does it make more sense 
intuitively to that "average"
citizen without any solid foundation in mathematics? Absolutely yes.
====================
| Nullius in Verba |
====================
Dan Emory, Dan Emory & Associates
FrameMaker/FrameMaker+SGML Document Design & Database Publishing
Voice/Fax: 949-722-8971 E-Mail: danemory@primenet.com
177 Riverside Ave., STE F, #1151, Newport Beach, CA 92663
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