The discussion revolves around the interpretation of the phrase "A is a factor of 3 above B" and its implications in mathematical terms. Participants are trying to clarify whether this means A = B*3 or A = B*4, highlighting the confusion stemming from the wording of the problem.
The conversation is ongoing, with participants sharing their interpretations and reasoning. Some suggest that the phrase typically means a multiplication by 3, while others express uncertainty and seek further clarification on the wording.
Participants note that the context of the problem is crucial for determining the correct interpretation, and there is an acknowledgment that this issue may stem more from language than from mathematics itself.
iacephysics said:This is pretty urgent, I am really confused by this kind of wording.
Normally when people say A is a factor of 3 above B, do they mean A = B*3, or A = B*4?
LowlyPion said:Without seeing your particular context, I would normally take that to be approximately 3 times more than what it is compared to. As in 25 is about a factor of 3 times greater than 8.
iacephysics said:Well in this context, there can be no approximate answer. So my question is really whether A is 3 times as large B or 4 times as large as B. This is more of an English question than math question.