A headline from the website of my old
local paper in the UK says "A police operation to curb car crime
in Wolverhampton has seen a six-fold reduction in thefts from
vehicles" but what exactly is a "six-fold" drop. If
there were sixty crimes before is it a drop by one-sixth (to 50) or a
drop to one sixth (that is 10) or perhaps a drop that is actually
six-fold and six times the original number of crimes are now NOT
recorded (a staggering -300 crimes). Mathematics is clearly not the
strong suit of editors.
William Labov, RIP.
6 hours ago
