Arbeitsblatt: numbers

Numbers Read the following passage aloud About 33% of our sales come from 1/5 of our product range. We sold 2,450,000 pumps last year at $23.67 each. The profit margin per pump is $1.08. Our profits are, therefore, $1.08 2,450,000 $2,646,000. We invested 9.25% in research and development and about of this was used to develop the new 05/W300 range. Numbers are not always easy to say aloud. Here are some basic rules: per cent. Be careful here. Put the stress on the word cent; otherwise, it can be confused with the word person. 1/5 a fifth or one fifth. Parts of whole numbers, known as fractions, have the th ending, exceptions: a quarter three quarters two thirds (one) half one third 2, 380,000 two million, three hundred (and) eighty thousand. Commas are used to divide millions from thousands and thousands from hundreds, but not to divide whole numbers from decimals. Speaking of millions, there is no s at the end if you say exactly how many millions. You can spend millions of euros (a vague amount) or five million euros (a specific amount), but not five millions. Be careful: 1 billion 1 Milliarde auf Deutsch, 1 trillion 1 Billion auf Deutsch £ The currency symbol is put in front of the number, but we say it at the end. £80 eighty pounds and $600 six hundred dollars. 1.09 One point (not comma) oh eight. Oh or zero is usually said for 0 after the decimal point. The British sometimes use the word nought. 3 4 12 three times (or multiplied by) four equals (or is) twelve. The other three key symbols of this type are: plus minus ./. divided by Describing movements It also useful to be able to describe movements in numbers clearly — in other words, to state whether the amount gets bigger or smaller, whether it rises or falls. You can add an adjective to the verb to give still more detail; for example: sharp increase, gradual decrease, steep rise, sudden fall. Or you can choose words like to rocket or to plunge to be even more descriptive. Test your vocabulary in the exercise below: Do these words describe an upward movement to decline to increase to jump to fall to plummet to drop to slump to raise to soar to improve to shoot to climb to decrease to rocket or downward movement It very important to get your numbers right when discussing prices, amounts and figures in contracts — and especially over the phone. So make sure youre 100 per cent correct! Text how it should be read The way to say the example at the start of the article, therefore, is: About thirty-three per cent of our sales come from one fifth of our product range. We sold two million, four hundred (and) fifty thousand pumps last year at twenty-three dollars, sixty-seven cents each. The profit margin per pump is one dollar and eight cents (a dollar eight). Our profits are, therefore, one dollar and eight cents times two million, four hundred and fifty thousand, which equals two million, six hundred (and) forty-six thousand dollars. We invested nine point two five per cent in research and development, and about (one) half of this was used to develop the new zero five slash double you three hundred range.