Transcript Formatting Numbers Writing Consultant Presentation EG 1003: Intro to Engineering and Design Polytechnic Institute of NYU.

Formatting Numbers
Writing Consultant Presentation
EG 1003: Intro to Engineering and Design
Polytechnic Institute of NYU
Use digits for numbers >10
The lab required the use of 16 paperclips and a space
heater.
Exception: A sentence cannot begin with a numeral
Options:
• Spell out number is the first word of the sentence
• Rewrite the sentence so number is not first
Other <11 exceptions
1. Parts of a report
Lab 1, Figure 2
2. Anything with a symbol:
Percentages and ratios
12%, 1:4
Measurements/currency
12mm, $54
Times and dates
October 12
3. Figures (numbers in tables,
equations or diagram)
1995 2005 2015
5
4
5
Usually spell out ten or fewer
The team ran 25 trials.
There were eight teeth on the gear.
The diameter was 3 cm, and materials cost $7.
The due date is November 4.
Thirty-five bricks were used.
In the design, 35 bricks were used.
The gear ratio was calculated as 3:1.
Lab 7 will be presented today
The front view is shown in Figure 2.
Round off to two decimal places
Engineers are more practical than mathematicians
Real-world measures are useful to the 100s, at best
10.33333333
10.14285714
3.16227766
10.33
10.14
3.16
Use leading & trailing zeroes
Use a zero before any decimal
If some numbers have a decimal, all should
.8
1
.92
0.80
1.00
0.92
Software will line up decimals
Try “decimal tab” to line up numbers:
Use automatic rounding in Excel:
Formatting Numbers
 Spell out numbers ten or fewer
 Usually use digits when 11 or greater
 Only two decimal places with leading
and trailing zeroes
 Exploit software features