Double the number / half as many

Question

There are double the number of boys as girls in their school.I'm confused if the meaning of "double" above means you have to multiply the number of boys by 2 to get the number of girls, i.e. if there are 50 boys, then there are 100 girls.  Or does "double" above means "twice as many", i.e. if there are 50 boys, then there are 25 girls?  Which of my interpretations is correct?There are half as many children than adults in the movie house.Does "half as many" above means, for example, there are 10 children divided by 2 is equal to 5 adults?  Or there are 10 children and 20 adults?  Please advise which is correct.I would very much appreciate your assistance.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

There are double the number of boys as girls in their school.

I'm confused if the meaning of "double" above means you have to multiply the number of boys by 2 to get the number of girls, i.e. if there are 50 boys, then there are 100 girls. Or does "double" above means "twice as many", i.e. if there are 50 boys, then there are 25 girls? Which of my interpretations is correct?-- 20 boys, 10 girls — but the sentence is an awkward attempt at saying 'there are twice as many boys as girls'.

There are half as many children as adults in the movie house.

Does "half as many" above means, for example, there are 10 children divided by 2 is equal to 5 adults? Or there are 10 children and 20 adults? -- 10 children, 20 adults.

Anonymous · Answer

Many thanks.  Your answers have cleared my confusion. <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Double the number / half as many

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