Choosing Words or Numbers Using Terms Define Units of Measure How Precise?
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Define the units of measure. Even commonly used words may not have a common meaning. And they may be measured in different ways. “… the word ‘ton’ has at least five different possible meanings.”1 A billion in the U.S. is “a thousand million, or one followed by nine zeros. But in much of Europe, a ‘billion’ … is a million million, or one followed by 12 zeros.” 2 The term year may be used for a calendar year, fiscal year, school year, work year, or tax year. Obesity has different meanings for adults and children. With the same body mass index (BMI), an adult is diagnosed as obese while the child is overweight 3. So define what you are measuring and how it is being measured. If numbers are assigned to represent quantities or characteristics, be sure the measurement scale is well described. 1. Koomey, Jonathan G. (2008) Turning Numbers into Knowledge, Oakland, CA: Analytics Press, p. 152, 178. |
Resource: The Numbers Guy, Wall Street Journal Online |