Continuing my recent post deluge (or is it rampage)....
i hate fractions. Yes i said it.
So what do i have against those numbers? Fractions are artificial constructs that mean less than you think they do. Look at life and ask yourself when was the last time you actually used a fraction. Was it when you were measuring something (which i believe show how stupid the US system of measurements is, especially distance)? Was it a serving size for a meal (again showing weaknesses in measuring systems)? How many times in the real world have you actually multiplied (or divided) a fraction by a fraction? Do you frequently add and subtract fractions? Does anyone?
For me, there are three types of numbers that make sense. The first are those behind a dollar sign (my personal favorite), the second are percentages (which are better than fractions) and finally there are decimal numbers. Most fractions can better be described by percentages or decimals. After all, you could think of a fraction as a lazy person's decimal
Look at, basically, any chart you can find. Charts (or graphical representations of data) are based off of decimal numbers (even if the number is zero) or percentages (like a pie chart). Fractions have limited usefulness and should probably be left in elementary school where they belong.
If decimals are good enough for Excel to use, they are good enough for me.
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