4 ms·
Conversations aren't the same as written articles. In a study or article you expect a proper and more precise use of language, hence the 4 million.
by TheFreim 5y ago
Conversations aren't the same as written articles. In a study or article you expect a proper and more precise use of language, hence the 4 million.
- gibba999 5y agoThe entire point of language like "order-of-magnitude" in an article is to convey uncertainty, and that you're sure at the level of the log of the number. Error bars are important. A different poster pointed out other language in the article which DID estimate 4 million deaths more precisely, but that level of imprecision is exactly what scientists and engineers mean by "order-of-magnitude." It's common for press to take a result with huge error bars, and to condense it to a number.