What is it with "point 0"?

[Tsyroc]

Because of work I've been wondering what is with the sudden need for numbers to be point zero.

Examples: Why the Mustang 5.0? Isn't 5 liters the same as 5.0 liters?

What's with AOL and MSN 8.0? Heck AOL hasn't had anything but point 0 versions for the last three releases (6.0, 7.0 & 8.0). At least when Windows had 3.0 there was eventually a Win 3.1 and a later 3.11.

Whatever has caused this problem has seeped into the heads of nurses and to a lesser extent doctors. So, when we get orders for drugs they include that stupid .0 on the end. Not only is it not necessary it is potentially dangerous. With bad hand writing, carbon copies and scans it is very easily for that decimal point to fade out of existence. So instead of getting a dose of 5.0mg the patient gets 50mg. If there is no need for the trailing zero then it shouldn't be there.

The only time I remember needing trainling zeros like that in anything it was because the instructor of the class asked for that many digets.

Maybe someone can answer this for me but am I wrong in thinking that a trailing zero with nothing after it is not considered a significant digti? If that's the case I don't understand where it got into people's heads that then need to include them.

END of Rant.

[Dalton]

Brain bug. It looks more technical and thus "cool" and "realistic" to add decimal points everywhere.

[Tsyroc]

That's what I thought but I wanted to make sure. I haven't done any serious math for awhile so I wanted to make sure I wasn't just forgetting something.

Certainly nurses must have gotten it from the brain bug of pop culture because far too many of them have major problems with math (college graduates ).

[Dalton]

*shrug* I'm not even precisely sure where it's from, but another guess I have is that it's because of the *potential* for there to be a point something or they just want things to look uniform, i.e.

1.0
1.1
2.0
2.1

looks better than

1
1.1
2
2.1

Especially if it's right justified. I think the whole thing is kinda stupid, especially in the case of new software, where the corporations are trying to wow consumers...

ALL NEW AOL EIGHT POINT O sounds "techier" than AOL NEW VERSION EIGHT to lusers.

[Xon]

Well in science, it can be used to indicate one is exact(to some many significatnt figures), and the other is an approximation. Or at least thats what my science teacher told me, back in year 11.

But in normal use, there is no differance, beyond for more ink used if you write it down.

[Darth Wong]

Decimal places indicate tolerance.

The number "5" might refer to 5.0, or it might also be 5.1 or 5.4 or 4.6 (all will round to 5). But the number "5.0" has a much tighter tolerance; 5.04 would round to 5.0, but 5.1 wouldn't. So it does matter, at least to us gearheads

[Master of Ossus]

It's a significant figure. It helps scientists understand how accurately something has been measured.

[Alferd Packer]

Motorheads still use cid. because a saying "Yup, I got a 426 HEMI" sounds much cooler than "I have a 7.0 liter HEMI." But that only applies to large engines, for some reason. You'll never hear me call my truck's engine a "145 straight-four," just a 2.4 liter. Seems like a silly convention, but I guess it goes back to that idea of presicion and tolerance.

[neoolong]

Decimal places indicate tolerance.

The number "5" might refer to 5.0, or it might also be 5.1 or 5.4 or 4.6 (all will round to 5). But the number "5.0" has a much tighter tolerance; 5.04 would round to 5.0, but 5.1 wouldn't. So it does matter, at least to us gearheads

But in cars it is already like 1.8 liters, so using 5 instead of 5.0 should show that there isn't anything after.

Unless you just want everything to be the same in terms of decimal places and such.

[Enlightenment]

What's with AOL and MSN 8.0? Heck AOL hasn't had anything but point 0 versions for the last three releases (6.0, 7.0 & 8.0).

In these cases the .0 represents the maximum intelligence of the services' target markets....

[Stormbringer]

What's with AOL and MSN 8.0? Heck AOL hasn't had anything but point 0 versions for the last three releases (6.0, 7.0 & 8.0).

In these cases the .0 represents the maximum intelligence of the services' target markets....

Shut the fuck up. Not ever AOL'er is a brain dead idiot. True the vast majority of the are, but not all of them.

[Enlightenment]

Shut the fuck up. Not ever AOL'er is a brain dead idiot. True the vast majority of the are, but not all of them.

The average IQ of AOLoids must be around zero, though. For every Patricia Wrede on AOL there's bound to be at least a thousand teenagers and other mental midgets with all the inteligence of Penile Implant....

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

In some cases, it's for more precise measurements, and in most cases, it's put there to "look cool".

[Tsyroc]

Decimal places indicate tolerance.

The number "5" might refer to 5.0, or it might also be 5.1 or 5.4 or 4.6 (all will round to 5). But the number "5.0" has a much tighter tolerance; 5.04 would round to 5.0, but 5.1 wouldn't. So it does matter, at least to us gearheads

Okay, that was another legit reason for using them that I couldn't remember but had kicking around in the dark recesses of my mind.

The tolerance thing may explain why the nurses are stuck throwing in the point zeros. Certainly lab values usually have so many decimal places but I still wish they wouldn't order drugs that way. It's not really more accurate in that case. Alot of the stuff I have to make personally is only as accurate as I can eyeball in a syringe, or get to pour out of a beeker. The rest of the stuff comes from the manufacturer as is and nothing is labled x.0 mg