Hi Kirt,

Seeing as this has nothing to do with our other disagreements ;-)

Nieft / Secola wrote:

> Alan:
> >If two gentlemen and one lady were the first to show up at a dance,
> >the ratio of males to females would be 2:1. To get back to calcium,
> >phosphorus and magnesium, the ratio of calcium (per 100 mg or whatever)
> >to both of the other two should also be 2:1. It is easier to calculate
> >this way rather than with miselading percentages.
>
> Percentages? Look for a percentage symbol "%" if you suspect a percentage.
>
> 2:1 is the same, mathematically, as 2/1 or 2.00000000....
>
> Granted the French use , for . in numbers but I can not fathom how you are
> ignorant to the decimal equivilant of a ratio.
>
I am not ignorant of it Kirt, I just think that it is perceptively
misleading (not a buzz word if you think about it). Two parts of
one thing to one part of another is easier to understand and
perceive (which is why the old ratios are also still used in food
recipes).

Alan