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Seems like "spike" should be the Word of 2020; I hear it repeatedly in every newscast.
But I think it is being used incorrectly. To me, a "spike" in some statistic means an unusually high value, over a short time period, and with a rapid return to the prevailing value. So, if you plotted whatever vs. time and saw a "spike-shaped" rise and fall in the value, then you could say "it spiked."
I don't think it makes sense to say "COVID deaths spiked again today" unless there were a lot more deaths today than yesterday. And even then, that would be a "surge." If the number on Tuesday was much higher than on Monday, and then came back down on Wednesday, then you could say "they spiked on Tuesday."
What do you think?
But I think it is being used incorrectly. To me, a "spike" in some statistic means an unusually high value, over a short time period, and with a rapid return to the prevailing value. So, if you plotted whatever vs. time and saw a "spike-shaped" rise and fall in the value, then you could say "it spiked."
I don't think it makes sense to say "COVID deaths spiked again today" unless there were a lot more deaths today than yesterday. And even then, that would be a "surge." If the number on Tuesday was much higher than on Monday, and then came back down on Wednesday, then you could say "they spiked on Tuesday."
What do you think?
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