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10x Smaller

This one always gives me a chuckle.

See, if a cube is one cubic centimetre in size, then something that is 10x bigger will be either 10cc (ten of them) or 100cc (a cube 10cm per side).

But 10x smaller?

If a cube is one cubic centimetre in size, then that is 1x its size, so making it 1x smaller results in nothing.  Zero.  Zilch.  (Do the Maths: 1 - 1 = ?)

So 10x smaller would be either MINUS 9cc or MINUS 81cc – which, as I mentioned here, is great on paper, but let's see you make it happen.

Really, guys, learn to use fractions ("a tenth"), percentages (10%), or just plain ol' talkin' bollocks ("nowhere near as big").

I hereby demand that the phrase "10x smaller" be made 1x smaller.

i.e. "".


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