Sunshine (she/her)M to Electric [email protected]English • 1 day agoAfter buying an EV, less than 1% of drivers go back to gas-powered carselectrek.coexternal-linkmessage-square23fedilinkarrow-up1128arrow-down19
arrow-up1119arrow-down1external-linkAfter buying an EV, less than 1% of drivers go back to gas-powered carselectrek.coSunshine (she/her)M to Electric [email protected]English • 1 day agomessage-square23fedilink
minus-square@SwordInStonelink6•18 hours ago“fewer drivers”, but it could technically be “less than 1%” , as the number before % is just a real number, so of a continuous spectrum. it can be less than π% of drivers.
minus-square@reddig33link12•1 day agoTell that to all the math textbooks that say “greater than > or less than <”.
minus-square@gruelinkEnglish9•1 day agoMost of the time, math textbooks are dealing with real numbers (continuous quantities), for which that verbiage is appropriate.
minus-squarethreelonmusketeersMlinkfedilinkEnglish3•18 hours agoAre percentages not continuous quantities? In this case, they represent ratio of discrete values, but we don’t know what those are.
minus-square@Zachariahlink7•1 day agoNo need to try to enforce a prescriptive distinction between “less” and “fewer” when “less” is often used with count nouns. They can be interchangeable, and it’s been this way for hundreds of years.
minus-square@ericjmoreylinkEnglish6•1 day agoFewer is not appropriate here if maintaining the common use of fewer.
Fewer
“fewer drivers”, but it could technically be “less than 1%” , as the number before % is just a real number, so of a continuous spectrum.
it can be less than π% of drivers.
Tell that to all the math textbooks that say “greater than > or less than <”.
Most of the time, math textbooks are dealing with real numbers (continuous quantities), for which that verbiage is appropriate.
Are percentages not continuous quantities? In this case, they represent ratio of discrete values, but we don’t know what those are.
No need to try to enforce a prescriptive distinction between “less” and “fewer” when “less” is often used with count nouns. They can be interchangeable, and it’s been this way for hundreds of years.
Fewer is not appropriate here if maintaining the common use of fewer.