An Exploration into Relative Numbers and Their Deceptive Nature
RELATIVE NUMBERS
For those that are concerned, my wife and I managed to have more than 1.9 children, which is the current average for a couple in the United States. While we were not prolific at breeding and furthering the Seest family line, neither of us feels like we were negligent in our duties. We were also grateful to have a whole number of children, rounding out our family with four sons.
TRULY BLESSED
We were fortunate that we had four, healthy, normal boys, except for one of them, and we were able to love all of them with all of our hearts, except for one of them. Only kidding regarding the abnormal son and unloved son; it’s an inside joke. But, unlike some couples, we never struggled in our efforts to further the family genetics. So we increased the relative numbers for our relatives.
RELATIVE TO RELATIVES
Relative to my relative relatives, we were probably deemed average performers in our capacity to expand the family tree. Of course, some of my relatives chose not to have families or relationships, and there is nothing wrong with that. And some of our relative relatives far exceeded our performance in the family tree expansion and parental capacity as well. Some had more and some had less, and it was difficult to tell if more was less or less was more.
RELATIVE NUMBERS
Relative numbers can be confusing, and so can relatives, but my purpose in this short parable is to outline the nature of confusing relative numbers and not confusing relatives. Although the confusing relatives know who they are. I won’t name names here, but they likely might know who they are.
RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE NUMBERS
So, let me describe what a relative number is. Let’s say there were two naughty boys, and one boy was naughty and got caught four times, and the other boy was naughty and caught six times; these would be referred to as the absolute number of times the boys were naughty and got caught. But these numbers could be reported in this manner instead:
- One boy was naughty and got caught two times more than the other boy.
- One boy was naughty and caught 66.6 percent as often as the other boy.
- One boy was 150 percent more likely to be naughty and get caught as the other boy.
- Both boys were really naughty and got caught.
RELATIVE CONTEXT
Of course, we have no context in our example. Both boys may have been found to be nice and well behaved one thousand times during the same period of time. Or, perhaps, the one boy that was naughty and got caught four times may have been naughty and got caught four times in one day, where the other boy that was naughty and got caught six times may have been naughty and got caught six times over a two year period.
RELATIVE INFLUENCE
The other challenge is that both boys may be well behaved, or one may just be better at not getting caught but is still naughty a lot. Or, both boys may be well behaved most of the time, unless they are around their unscrupulous father who has a tendency to stir up trouble and get them in trouble.
ABSOLUTE NUMBERS
While absolute numbers can also provide additional information, in our example of naughtiness and caughtness (I made that word up), by themselves, the numbers don’t provide context either, and a person still has to get more information to make informed decisions.
THE FEAR OF NUMBERS
We live in an era where people that are selling or marketing ideas, products, concepts, services, and many other things use the confusing nature of numbers to instill fear to motivate you to act in specific ways: usually to make a purchasing decision. I’m far more likely to want to purchase the Ferrari that costs only $35,000 more than the BMW than I am to purchase that same Ferrari for $256,000 plus taxes.
RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE CONFUSION
I often find the resulting confusion to be apparent in the discussions by professional medical practitioners when discussing the latest results of medical therapy or drug trials. And these aren’t people that lack intelligence. They may lack time to develop a proper understanding, as many of us do.
BUYER BEWARE
I’m not sure if the creation of this confusion using relative or absolute numbers is either intentional or unacknowledged, but the buyer needs to be aware. For surely, in this era where we have so much access to information, it can be quite confusing and difficult to draw a well-reasoned conclusion or have a well-reasoned decision.
RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE DISCLAIMER
I hope that my article has made you more aware of the challenges in interpreting and understanding relative and absolute numbers and what they mean. This can be challenging for anyone in any walk of life, and is certainly for me from time to time. Any direct reference to any relative relatives or naughty relatives were also not specific in any way. Other than me, ’cause I am naughty from time to time.
ME
Hopefully, I’ve made you more aware of the numbers game and how the same numbers can mean different things, relatively or absolutely. Feel free to follow my numbered ramblings at the links listed below:
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