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From: Barry Schwarz on 12 Aug 2010 00:57
On 11 Aug 2010 21:16:38 GMT, Bart Goddard <goddardbe(a)netscape.net>
wrote:

>
>A few minutes ago, I was honored by a phone call from
>one of our local news stations. The fact checker had
>a math issue. Their informant was using (in some
>context unknown to me) "millions of dollars", but it
>turns out that the actual number of dollars is
>1.4 million.
>
>So his question to me, (the lucky prof who happened
>to be in his office on a summer afternoon) was whether
>it was appropriate to say "millions" if one did not
>have at least 2 of them. And since 1.4 < 2, he though
>his source might be overstating his case.

No references but common usage that sounds correct:

The line is 1 inch long.
The line is 1.0 inches long.
The line is .5 inches long.
The line is one-half inch long.

Conclusion - something about needless consistency and little minds.

Personal opinion - plural means more than one. 1.4 > 1. Plural
appropriate.

--
Remove del for email
From: Pfsszxt on 12 Aug 2010 10:58
On 11 Aug 2010 21:16:38 GMT, Bart Goddard <goddardbe(a)netscape.net>
wrote:

>
>A few minutes ago, I was honored by a phone call from
>one of our local news stations. The fact checker had
>a math issue. Their informant was using (in some
>context unknown to me) "millions of dollars", but it
>turns out that the actual number of dollars is
>1.4 million.
>
>So his question to me, (the lucky prof who happened
>to be in his office on a summer afternoon) was whether
>it was appropriate to say "millions" if one did not
>have at least 2 of them. And since 1.4 < 2, he though
>his source might be overstating his case.
>
>I answered that as far as I knew, the mathematical
>community had no standards for such usage. But
>I'm tossing the question out to whoever wants to say
>something:
>
>Is 1.4 million dollars "millions of dollars"?
>

Isn't "millions" plural? Meaning moren than one of the singular?
From: Frederick Williams on 12 Aug 2010 11:27
Pfsszxt(a)aol.com wrote:
>
> On 11 Aug 2010 21:16:38 GMT, Bart Goddard <goddardbe(a)netscape.net>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >A few minutes ago, I was honored by a phone call from
> >one of our local news stations. The fact checker had
> >a math issue. Their informant was using (in some
> >context unknown to me) "millions of dollars", but it
> >turns out that the actual number of dollars is
> >1.4 million.
> >
> >So his question to me, (the lucky prof who happened
> >to be in his office on a summer afternoon) was whether
> >it was appropriate to say "millions" if one did not
> >have at least 2 of them. And since 1.4 < 2, he though
> >his source might be overstating his case.
> >
> >I answered that as far as I knew, the mathematical
> >community had no standards for such usage. But
> >I'm tossing the question out to whoever wants to say
> >something:
> >
> >Is 1.4 million dollars "millions of dollars"?
> >
>
> Isn't "millions" plural? Meaning moren than one of the singular?

Here there is a fresh ambiguity: does "more than one" mean two or three
or ...; or does it mean (for example) 1.2 or 1.3?

--
I can't go on, I'll go on.
From: jbriggs444 on 12 Aug 2010 12:22
On Aug 12, 12:57 am, Barry Schwarz <schwa...(a)dqel.com> wrote:
> On 11 Aug 2010 21:16:38 GMT, Bart Goddard <goddar...(a)netscape.net>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >A few minutes ago, I was honored by a phone call from
> >one of our local news stations.  The fact checker had
> >a math issue.  Their informant was using (in some
> >context unknown to me) "millions of dollars", but it
> >turns out that the actual number of dollars is
> >1.4 million.  
>
> >So his question to me, (the lucky prof who happened
> >to be in his office on a summer afternoon) was whether
> >it was appropriate to say "millions" if one did not
> >have at least 2 of them.  And since 1.4 < 2, he though
> >his source might be overstating his case.
>
> No references but common usage that sounds correct:
>
>         The line is 1 inch long.
>         The line is 1.0 inches long.
>         The line is .5 inches long.
>         The line is one-half inch long.
>
> Conclusion - something about needless consistency and little minds.
>
> Personal opinion - plural means more than one.  1.4 > 1.  Plural
> appropriate.

A second personal opinion, worth what you have paid for it.

If you are treating money as fungible then plurals do not enter in.
Without a singular amount there can be no plural amounts. By
convention we use plural syntax in this case (e.g. a
length of "0.1 inches" or a wealth of 0.1 megabucks). Under this
interpretation, the notation "millions of dollars" is devoid of
meaning. Use of the term in this sense is accordingly irresponsible
and ought not be condoned.

If you are treating money in units of a million dollars then plurals
do enter in. If you have 1.4 megabucks then you have one "million
dollars" but you do not have a second "million dollars". You
therefore do not have "millions of dollars". [What you _do_ have
is "over a million dollars"]

So from a strict technical point of view, I argue for 2.0 megabucks
as the dividing line.

For those not trying to intentionally mislead, a dividing line
at 3.0 megabucks would be more responsible. [But since when were
journalists not paid to mislead?]
From: A N Niel on 12 Aug 2010 16:30
Maybe that reporter should ask a linguist instead.
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