3 ms·
No I don't. That's my point. To me, the number that's two times smaller than x is -x. (x-2x)
by jewayne 4y ago
No I don't. That's my point. To me, the number that's two times smaller than x is -x. (x-2x)
- OJFord 4y agoI'm no mathematician and it wouldn't often be my choice of phrasing, but it seems unambiguous and clear to me; your definition is much stranger/less intuitive to me. We're clear on 'x is two times larger than y', right? x = 2*y An equivalent statement is 'y is two times smaller than x', but it conveys a construction more like: y = x/2 Which, since we're speaking English sentences, might change the emphasis/implication.
- bigDinosaur 4y agoThis is really just an English expression that doesn't map perfectly to the actual mathematics it's intended to describe. 2 times smaller does usually mean 1/2 by convention in English and I don't think there's anything more profound than to just say it is what it is.