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Moon7296 Posted 13 years ago
Vocabulary

a half, a third, a fourth(quarter?), a fifth, a sixth?

For example, some researchers found that breeding to "improve" wheat varieties over the past 130 years, during which yields of grain per acre have tripled, had reduced levels of iron by 28 percent and zinc by roughly a third.

Q) a third means 33.3333...% right? If I want to say 50% its, "... by roughly a half" right? If 25&, "...by roughly a quarter(fourth?)", "If 20% "...by roughly a fifth", and this goes on. Is what I do correct?
  

Top answer

moon7296 If I want to say 50% its, "... by roughly a half" right? by roughly a fifth", 50% is a half.

— CalifJim

  • moon7296 If I want to say 50% its, "...
  • by roughly a half" right?
  • by roughly a fifth", 50% is a half.
  • Exactly a half.
  • Not roughly a half.
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3 Answers
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moon7296If I want to say 50% its, "... by roughly a half" right? If 25&, "...by roughly a quarter(fourth?)", "If 20% "...by roughly a fifth",
50% is a half. Exactly a half. Not roughly a half. Roughly means approximately.

Otherwise, you have the right idea.

CJ
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moon7296 a third means 33.3333...% right?
On the other hand, that extended decimal means PRECISELY 1/3 — probably not what is meant in the text, either.
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If you want to say a values that is 50% of something, you can (and maybe should) use "a half". But be wary that is the value is exactly 50% then don't use "roughly". Roughly means close to something. Approximate. If the value is, for example, 49 or 48%, you should then use "roughly", since it is not a precise half. 50%= half

<50%> = ROUGHLY half

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