Calculating Relative Speeds: Comparing Process X and Process Y in % Difference

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To calculate the percentage difference in speed between Process X and Process Y, the correct formulas are needed. For Process X being faster than Process Y, the formula should be (Y - X) / Y, which will yield a positive percentage. Conversely, to determine how much slower Process Y is compared to Process X, the formula is 1 - (X / Y), which also needs to be calculated correctly. The discussion emphasizes that understanding the rates of processes is crucial for accurate percentage comparisons. Accurate calculations reveal that the initial proposed formulas were incorrect and require adjustment for proper interpretation.
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I have a really simple question that I can't figure it out.

I have a process X that took 905 seconds to finish. Process Y took 950 seconds to finish. I want to know a) how much in % process X is faster than Y, and b) how much in % process Y is slower than X?

I think that the answer is the following.

a) Taking X as reference, X is faster (X-Y)/Y times.
b) Taking Y as reference, Y is slower 1-(Y/X) times.

Am I correct?
 
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xeon123 said:
a) Taking X as reference, X is faster (X-Y)/Y times.
b) Taking Y as reference, Y is slower 1-(Y/X) times
That depends what you mean by X and Y there.
Since you want how much faster one is than the other, you need to compare rates.
What are the rates? You can express them as "processes per second"
 
haruspex said:
That depends what you mean by X and Y there.
Since you want how much faster one is than the other, you need to compare rates.
What are the rates? You can express them as "processes per second"

My question is not related to processes per second.
I have a process X which is faster than Y. I want to know how much X is faster than Y in %, and how much Y is slower than X in %. Eg., X is faster 10% than Y, and Y is slower something in % than X.
 
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xeon123 said:
My question is not related to processes per second
Alice walked a km in 15 minutes, Bob took 30 minutes. Alice was faster by 15 minutes, which is 50% less than 30, but was she only 50% faster? At 4km/h, wasn't she 100% faster than Bob's 2km/h?
"% faster" means you are comparing rates, not times.
 
haruspex said:
Alice walked a km in 15 minutes, Bob took 30 minutes. Alice was faster by 15 minutes, which is 50% less than 30, but was she only 50% faster? At 4km/h, wasn't she 100% faster than Bob's 2km/h?
"% faster" means you are comparing rates, not times.

I understand your example because you use numbers easy to calculate. I don't know how to answer my example. Can you tell me if my answers are correct?
 
xeon123 said:
I have a process X that took 905 seconds to finish. Process Y took 950 seconds to finish. I want to know a) how much in % process X is faster than Y, and b) how much in % process Y is slower than X?

I think that the answer is the following.

a) Taking X as reference, X is faster (X-Y)/Y times.
b) Taking Y as reference, Y is slower 1-(Y/X) times.
Am I correct?
Using your numbers, for (a), you would get (905 - 950)/950, which is a negative number.
For (b), you would get 1 - (950/900), which is a number smaller than -1; i.e., more negative than -1.
So no, these are both incorrect.

xeon123 said:
I understand your example because you use numbers easy to calculate. I don't know how to answer my example. Can you tell me if my answers are correct?
See if you can duplicate @haruspex's thinking using your numbers.
 
Mark44 said:
Using your numbers, for (a), you would get (905 - 950)/950, which is a negative number.
For (b), you would get 1 - (950/900), which is a number smaller than -1; i.e., more negative than -1.
So no, these are both incorrect.See if you can duplicate @haruspex's thinking using your numbers.
I am having some difficulty in duplicating @haruspex's example. I really need some help.
 
xeon123 said:
I am having some difficulty in duplicating @haruspex's example. I really need some help.
Do as I suggested at the start - express the two rates as numbers of processes per second.
 
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