Quote Originally Posted by Allan View Post
Hi Hap - Would you please clarify your method of mathematical calculations? If I do something that yields 100 widgets and you do that same thing and your effort yields 150 (same widgets), then you are producing at a rate of 1-1/2 times faster then I did (100 x 1.5 = 150). Another way of saying it is: You're doing that action 150% faster then I am.
I believe your calculation yielded 115 widgets because you've multiplied my result by 2.5 which is a 250% increase. Bad! Here's yet another example: On a perfectly straight unending road you're driving your car at 60 mph for 1 hour. Therefore, you travel 60 miles in that hour. John drives his car at 1-1/2 (1.5) times your speed over that same road for the same time. How fast was he driving and many miles did he travel?

Spoof - Elsie Darbee said that a 'professional' speed for tying Catskill dry flies is something like 12 an hour. That sounds about right.
Maybe this will help.
  • If he tied 50% faster than you and you tied 100 flies, then he would have tied 150 flies (100 + 100 x .50 = 150)
  • If he tied 100% faster than you and you tied 100 flies, then he would have tied 200 flies (100 + 100 x 1.00 = 200)
  • If he tied 150% faster than you and you tied 100 flies, then he would have tied 250 flies (100 + 100 x 1.50 = 250)
Using your math above saying that he tied 50% faster would yield 100 x 0.5 = 50 (again assuming you tied 100 flies). Well, obviously that can't be right because he tied more than you. If he tied 50% faster then he tied 150. So if he tied 150% faster, it has to be more than 150.

Don't worry about it though. Almost everybody gets this mixed up.