The Truth About Numbers

Numbers in an argument are very ambiguous. They can be used in 2 ways. 1) to mislead or 2) to help. Who would've thought numbers can be used to deceive someone?

An example of misleading numbers would be:

More people are beginning to love Jamba Juice. Over the summer there sales have increased by 30%.

Although it may appear that there is nothing wrong about this statement--there is . This statement does not make clear how long the sales increase has been going on, has it progressively gone up or was 30% just a big jump in sales. What caused this 30% increase? Do they have a sale or a special (buy 1 get one free, etc). In other words the meaning of 30% has caused a complication.

An example of helpful numbers would be:

Many people drink Jamba Juice. Recent surveys show that over 80% of students has drank at least 1 smoothie in the past month. These numbers are helpful because this generic example kinda provides a source (recent surveys, should be more specific) and it show over a specific amount of time how many students have actually gone to Jamba Juice.

Watch out for statistics they could be out to deceive you. Always make sure the numbers are actually answering what the claim is actually trying to prove!