Question

What exactly does it mean to "reduce [something] by a factor of [something] ? Clarification please?

Answer 1

I apologize if it sounds like a stupid question, but it's kind of ambiguous to me.

Answer 2

For example, the volume of something in a container is decreasing by a factor of 1/5, and it's currently at 100, does that mean you take 1/5 and subtract it from 100? or is 1/5 the new value?

Answer 3

I don't know if it's because English isn't my first language or what but it's just kind of confusing, but I know it's something very simple that I should understand! lol

Answer 4

well
i don't know if i'll explain it right or nah
that means *a number * is decreasing by same amount
familiar with geometric or arithmetic sequence ?

Answer 5

like when you divide or multiply a number by 1/5 to get the next term hmm
make sense ? :P

Answer 6

here is an example
4 is reduced by a factor of 2 = 4/2
you would divide each term with the same number (2)

Answer 7

Ohhhhhh yeah that helps, making more sense now. ^_^

Answer 8

aw i tried
but feel free to get others point of view

Answer 9

Thanks, you're explanation kind of refreshed me and made me relate it to something I've learned in school lol. Thank you! :D

Answer 10

Like how there are like factors when you convert between units of measurements?

Answer 11

Also, just like there is for ex the factors of 6 (2 and 3), they are multiplied. In my question above it's just saying to multiply by 1/5 then?

Answer 12

well reduced mean change it to lowest term
so i would divide
anyways i guess i can't explain it sorry ...

Answer 13

tag other users :)

Answer 14

This is an example of sloppy language, the phrase "reduced by a factor of x" does not always mean the same thing.

eg 1 (x is greater than 1)

a two metre piece of string is reduced by a factor of 5

the new length is 2 [m] / 5 = 40 [cm]

eg 2 (x is less than 1)

a two metre piece of string is reduced by a factor of 1/5

the new length is 2 [m] / 5 = 40 [cm]

These statements are not the same, but give the same result.


When the wording of the question specifies the word `reduced`, our result must be less then the original, (this is how we know whether the multiply or divide).