One Of The Concepts You Encountered In The Readings This Mod

One Of The Concepts You Encountered In The Readings This Module Was Ho

In this discussion assignment, you will conduct an Internet search to find several examples of the use of percentages. These can be examples of percentages used in advertising claims, reported results from a study, or information shared by a government agency. In a minimum of 200 words, post to the Discussion Area your response to the following: Find an example of two of the following types of usage of percentages.

• Use of percentages as a fraction. Remember that this type will use the word of to imply multiplication. Explain whether this was an effective way to represent this information within the context of the example you found.
• Use of percentages to describe change. In the example you find, determine whether the reported percentage demonstrated absolute or relative change. Show your work. Explain whether this was an effective way to represent this information within the context of the example you found.
• Use of percentages for comparison. In the example you find, determine whether the reported percentage demonstrated absolute or relative change. Show your work. Explain whether this was an effective way to represent this information within the context of the example you found.

Now, find an example of two of the following misuses of percentages.

• Use of a shifting reference value. In this situation, the base values are changing as differing values of percentages are applied as increases, decreases, or both. Percentage increases, decreases, or both do not have a cumulative effect. Be sure to demonstrate why your example fits this category.
• Use of percentage to represent less than nothing. Look for an example where you are seeing a reduction of some percentage greater than 100. Be sure to demonstrate why your example fits this category.
• Situation where the average percentage is reported. In general, you cannot average percentages. The result isn’t representative of what actually has occurred in the situation in question. Be sure to demonstrate why your example fits this category.

Consider commenting on the following: Examine each example that the student provided. Did these examples sufficiently demonstrate the ways that percentages are used and misused? Explain. What have you learned regarding the necessity of carefully examining the percentages reported in advertising, news media, government reports, etc.?

Paper For Above instruction

During my exploration of percentage usage, I encountered examples illustrating both effective and misleading applications. Firstly, I found an advertisement claiming, "Our product increases efficiency by 25%," which exemplifies the use of percentages to describe change. This percentage appears to demonstrate a relative change, assuming it compares the new efficiency level to a baseline productivity rate. Calculating the impact, if initial efficiency is represented as 100 units, a 25% increase means an additional 25 units, resulting in a total of 125 units. This is an effective way to communicate improvement, as it contextualizes the percentage relative to the original measure, making the increase easily understandable for consumers.

Secondly, I identified a comparison statement stating, "Customer satisfaction rose from 60% last year to 75% this year." This example shows the use of percentages for comparison, where absolute change is evident: the difference is 15 percentage points. To determine if it’s a relative change, I calculated (75-60)/60 = 0.25, or 25%. Thus, the increase is 25% relative to the previous satisfaction level. This method effectively contextualizes the improvement, but sometimes, relative differences can exaggerate perceived progress if not properly explained.

Moving to misuse, one example involved a health claim stating, "Our product reduces symptoms by up to 150%." Since a percentage reduction over 100% implies a reduction more than the total, or less than nothing, this misuses percentages to represent less than nothing—an impossible scenario in practical terms. It misleads consumers into believing the product can eliminate or reduce symptoms beyond complete elimination, which is illogical.

Another misuse I found involved reporting an average percentage of "70% satisfaction" across different surveys without considering that averaging percentages may distort the actual data. For example, if one group reports 80% satisfaction and another 60%, the average is 70%. However, if the sample sizes are unequal, this average does not reflect a weighted or accurate overall satisfaction level. This demonstrates the common issue that averaging percentages can provide a misleading summary unless carefully weighted and interpreted.

In conclusion, these examples illustrate the importance of critically analyzing percentage data presented in media and reports. Percentages can effectively communicate changes and comparisons when used correctly, but they can also be manipulated or misinterpreted through shifting references, over-exaggeration, or improper averaging. As consumers of information, understanding these nuances enables better assessment of data's validity and avoids falling prey to misleading statistics. Recognizing the context and methodology behind percentage claims enhances critical thinking and helps in making informed decisions grounded in accurate information.

References

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