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Re: Grammar: "Multiply by" or "Multiply times"?

Subject: Re: Grammar: "Multiply by" or "Multiply times"?
From: "Peter Neilson" <neilson -at- windstream -dot- net>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2017 20:51:49 -0400

On Wed, 26 Apr 2017 16:27:53 -0400, Elisa R. Sawyer <elisawyer -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:

Probably the lab technicians are using a spectrophotometer for which some
setup has been specified prior to this step in the instructions.

My wife's experience with a spectrophotometer was not good. In spite of following the setup instructions she always got a scatter plot instead of the expected straight line. It is thus at least remotely possible that the tech writer can greatly improve the situation by providing instructions that introduce constraints: "For a sample size between the values of x and y, use the following setup. ..." // "Samples more dilute than w can be expected to produce unreliable results."

As always, the poor quality of the initial written material suggests that more than one error might be involved. The famous Siberian computer guy A. P. Ershov, whom I have probably quoted here before, said, "Finding errors in a computer program is like finding mushrooms in the forest. Having found one, look for others in the same place." Hey, Andrey, it's not just with your computers. All of science and technology will yield to that approach.
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Follow-Ups:

References:
Grammar: "Multiply by" or "Multiply times"?: From: Emoto
Re: Grammar: "Multiply by" or "Multiply times"?: From: Lauren
RE: Grammar: "Multiply by" or "Multiply times"?: From: Wright, Lynne
Re: Grammar: "Multiply by" or "Multiply times"?: From: Elisa R. Sawyer

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