A number needs a question

Original practice source: a commentary about numbers in public information.

A number can make a claim look settled. “Thirty took part” sounds precise, but a reader may still need to know what participation involved, who could join and what the count is being used to establish. Precision in one part of a statement does not complete the explanation around it.

This is not a reason to replace figures with vague impressions. Counting can expose an assumption which a confident description has concealed. The useful habit is to ask what was counted and why the result answers the question now being discussed, rather than either trust or dismiss a statement simply because it contains a number.

A magazine for young readers is inviting articles on the statement: “Numbers make arguments clearer.”

Write an article for the magazine arguing your view. You may use ideas from the source and your own ideas.