Since I was a math major in college, I'm more sensitive to mathematical errors and numbers being used in ways that don't make sense. Every so often, I use my blog to rant about such things. This is the second installment of this feature.
We need to have a talk about percentages. Every so often I encounter someone who talks about giving 110% effort. When I hear this, I want to flip over some tables and slam my head against a wall. You cannot give 110% effort. That makes absolutely no sense. Your full effort is 100%. That's 100 out of 100. 100% is the limit. You are a finite person; you cannot go beyond that. You can't conjure more effort out of thin air. When you talk about giving 110% effort, I lose respect for you. Plain and simple.
And the same goes for your excitement level. You can't be 110% excited about something. You can't be more excited than you are capable of. That makes no logical sense. Such blatant disregard for mathematics makes me want to weep. It hurts me deep inside.
Now there are instances where percentages greater than 100% may be validly used. For example, if you had $50 last week and now have $55, you now have 110% of the money you used to have. But effort and excitement don't work that way. Think of yourself as a container for effort or excitement. You cannot fill a container more than 100% full.
But as much as misuse of 110% bothers me, it's still not the worst offense I've experienced. Sometimes I hear someone say that they are 1000% sure about some claim. At that point, you've made the poor numbers meaningless. I think people who say such things should be punished. Next time they go to the grocery store, their waiting time for check out should be 1000% of the average person's waiting time. (That's 10 times longer than normal, in case you were wondering.) Maybe that will be enough to discourge such ridiculous statements, statements that make me 100% frustrated.
Grace and peace,
BMH
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