• Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    14 days ago

    Did you really just compare the difference between 210 billion and 250 billion to the difference between 14,000 to 75,000 vs millions and one micrometer to five millimeters vs nanometers?

    • masterspace
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      14 days ago

      Yes, it’s this little thing called context, thresholds, and relative magnitude.

      If your brain is only evolved to process numbers up to a hundred or two, then everything 10000+ is similarly processed through abstractions rather than your brain being able to directly comprehend and compare them.

      If instead of asking a guffawing question, you actually tried to point out why my reasoning was flawed, you may have realized those basic aspects of how language and reasoning work on your own.

      • Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        14 days ago

        Relative magnitude, really? You’re undermining your own point by not using a representative example and then calling your example a relative magnitude to the others.

        210 billion to 250 billion = ~19% increase

        75,000 to a million = ~12,000% increase

        Nanometer to micrometer = ~99,000% increase

        Nanometer to 5 millimeters = ~499,999,900% increase

        • masterspace
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          14 days ago

          Notice how all of those numbers are substantially larger or smaller, by many orders of magnitude, than a couple of hundred.

          Are you intentionally trying to avoid understanding what I’m writing?

          • Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            14 days ago

            210 billion is not substantially smaller than 250 billion. Are you intentionally trying to miss the point?