# Loud Guy at Diner: 3/5 != 70% **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 13, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317 "2011-06-13T15:27:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/1 "2011-06-13T15:27:21Z")
I was tying to enjoy breakfast yesterday at a local diner, but in the corner was Mr Knowitall pontificating on one subject after another. At one point he makes the brilliant statement “saying it’s 70% doesn’t tell you anything, it could just be 3 people out of a group of 5”. Is it too much to ask you to talk loudly enough that only the people at your table have to listen to your inanity? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/2 "2011-06-13T15:32:57Z")
What a maroon. To get 70% it’s three and a half people out of five. Even half people know this. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/3 "2011-06-13T15:58:29Z")
Technically, he could have a point. If you have a sample group of five, three “hits” equals a range of 50-70% for the group. So if you were looking for a 70% result, you could argue that 3/5 fulfilled the requirement. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/4 "2011-06-13T16:51:08Z")
It’s still better than the medical supply salesmen at the table next to ours in a fancy restaurant, who were loudly discussing the finer points of cleaning endoscopy equipment. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/5 "2011-06-13T17:15:19Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > It’s still better than the medical supply salesmen at the table next to ours in a fancy restaurant, who were loudly discussing the finer points of cleaning endoscopy equipment. Someone was grossing YOU out? Ai-yi-yi! ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/6 "2011-06-13T17:16:49Z")
I’m pretty sure 3/5! = 2.5% ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/7 "2011-06-13T17:19:38Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > I’m pretty sure 3/5! = 2.5% Operator precedence, motherfucker. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/8 "2011-06-13T17:39:17Z")
No, no, **Darth** ’s right. 3 / 5! = 0.025. ! has higher precedence than /. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/9 "2011-06-13T17:47:36Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Operator precedence, motherfucker. And you win today’s Award For Phrase Least Likely To Become A Meme. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/10 "2011-06-13T18:10:59Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > I’m pretty sure 3/5! = 2.5% 😃 ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/11 "2011-06-13T18:11:36Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Operator precedence, motherfucker. Smack talk at the math club meeting. Takes me back to high school. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/12 "2011-06-13T18:49:14Z")
I’m pretty sure this entire pitting has been rendered moot by the Fourteenth Amendment, Section Two. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/13 "2011-06-13T18:51:06Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > It’s still better than the medical supply salesmen at the table next to ours in a fancy restaurant, who were loudly discussing the finer points of cleaning endoscopy equipment. It could have been colonoscopy equipment, mate. Count yourself lucky. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/14 "2011-06-13T18:53:29Z")
The guy’s right. 3 out of 5 people think 3/5 = 70% ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/15 "2011-06-13T19:34:12Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > What a maroon. To get 70% it’s three and a half people out of five. Even half people know this. Would Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Angus T. Jones, and Ashton Kucher fit the bill? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/16 "2011-06-13T21:29:36Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > The guy’s right. 3 out of 5 people think 3/5 = 70% And googol% of people make up statistics on the spot. ---
**Author:** ![Algorithm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/algorithm/32/12204_2.png) [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/17 "2011-06-13T21:53:18Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Operator precedence, motherfucker. No. **Darth Panda** ’s underlying error is one in his lexical scanning, rather than a syntax error, where operator precedence is typically defined. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/18 "2011-06-14T03:52:56Z")
> [@Algorithm](#): > > No. **Darth Panda** ’s underlying error is one in his lexical scanning, rather than a syntax error, where operator precedence is typically defined. That sounded vaguely like an insult 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/19 "2011-06-14T04:07:43Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > What a maroon. To get 70% it’s three and a half people out of five. Even half people know this. Poor Horatio. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317/20 "2011-06-14T11:58:11Z")
It’s like the peabrains who will insist that if an item is 30% off and they have a 20% coupon “THAT MEANS IT’S 50% OFF WHY ARE YOU RINGING IT UP WRONG YOU MORON!!!” 10 years in retail was 20 years too long. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loud-guy-at-diner-3-5-70/585317.md?page=2)