# 8/10 or 4/5? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 1999, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-10-or-4-5/2901 "1999-08-28T22:48:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-10-or-4-5/2901/1 "1999-08-28T22:48:00Z")
When reading articles I often see statistics like 8 out of 10 people use this product. Or 4 of every 6 people are this way. Why don’t they reduce the fractions to their lowest form? Isn’t it the same? ---
**Author:** ![Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-10-or-4-5/2901/2 "1999-08-28T23:04:00Z")
I don’t see much “4 out of 6” but I suppose with “8 out of 10” it is easier to relate this to 80% than it would be for “4 out of 5”. Same would be true with “85 out of 100” - easier than “17 out of 20”. ---
**Author:** ![Babar714](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Babar714](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babar714)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-10-or-4-5/2901/3 "1999-08-28T23:09:00Z")
Always reduce. Always, always reduce. Being a recent high school graduate, I know this. The most important thing I learned in HS, is “Always reduce”. Must have heard it 6 out of 10 days. Alwaysreducealwaysreducealwaysreduce! ---
**Author:** ![mr\_john](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@mr\_john](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_john)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-10-or-4-5/2901/4 "1999-08-28T23:13:00Z")
just makes it sound more impressive. and also makes it sound like they asked more people. “they asked at least 10 people”, you think. “instead of just asking 5 if they had asked 6 maybe the 6th would have been a ‘no’ so and it would have been 4 out of 6 instead of 4 out of 5.” Contrarily what sounds more impressive? " half of all people surveyed" or “one out of two?” ah well, it’s 6 dozen of one and half of another. * * * “Pardon me while I have a strange interlude.”-Marx ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-10-or-4-5/2901/5 "1999-08-28T23:14:00Z")
99 out of 100 people are never bothered by this state of affairs. . .and then comes this handle with all the 'x’s in it. Must be a Marxian plot. Ray ---
**Author:** ![NanoByte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecc23a/32.png) [@NanoByte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NanoByte)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 1999, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-10-or-4-5/2901/6 "1999-08-28T23:19:00Z")
BTW, 4 out of 5 doctors say 90% of people admire doctors, but I’m not 1. . .but rather at least 10%. Ray ---
**Author:** ![Nickrz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@Nickrz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nickrz)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 1999, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-10-or-4-5/2901/7 "1999-08-29T02:48:00Z")
Eight out of ten people think the other two are nuts. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 1999, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-10-or-4-5/2901/8 "1999-08-29T04:03:00Z")
And of course 88% of all statistics are made up by the writer. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 1999, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-10-or-4-5/2901/9 "1999-08-29T13:43:00Z")
Nuts. From the title of this thread, I thought it was about dates, and whether 8/10 meant August 10 or October 8. ---
**Author:** ![Keeves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f05b48/32.png) [@Keeves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeves)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 1999, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-10-or-4-5/2901/10 "1999-08-30T14:09:00Z")
I think “8 out of 10” is more accurate. It means somewhere between 76% and 84%. “4 out of 5” could be anything between 71% and 89%. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 1999, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-10-or-4-5/2901/11 "1999-08-31T05:09:00Z")
Robin (Anne Heche) to Quinn (Harrison Ford) “I’ve flown with you twice and you’ve crashed half the time.” - Robin (Anne Heche) to Quinn (Harrison Ford) in [Six Days Seven Nights](http://us.imdb.com/Title?six+days+seven+nights)