Figures
to represent
numbers
Use figures in units of measurement (size, weight, distance, and degrees of temperature) and for ages and age ranges of people and animals. These units are always expressed in figures, regardless of the occurrence of other numerical expressions within a sentence.
The
rows were
planted
3 feet apart.
It
was a sunny
8x12-foot
room.
The
cabinet
was made
from 3⁄4-inch
plywood.
He
poured 2
gallons
into a 5-gallon
can.
The
book weighs
3 pounds
12 ounces.
The
high temperature
was 16 degrees.
Her
mother is
now in her
80s.
Use
figures
in percentages,
ratios,
and other
mathematical
expressions.
The
interest
rate is
10 percent.
He
bought two
8 1⁄2
percent
bonds.
The
ratio of
2 to 8 is
the same
as 8 to
32.
Multiply
by 3 to
find the
correct
number.
The
specific
gravity
is 0.9567.
It
was a 5-degree
angle.
Use
1 part paint
with 2 parts
water.
Use figures
for specific
ages of
people and
animals.
a
4-year-old
boy
the
12-year-old
cat
Use figures
before the
words million
and billion.
5
million
20
billion
Use figures
for amounts
of money.
9
cents
$5.50
$4
per pound
Use figures
in fractions
with whole
numbers.
The
1 1⁄2-story
house burned
down.
Use figures
for small
numbers
that occur
in a series
(three or
more) with
larger numbers
(10 or more)
and refer
to similar
things.
Of
the 224
delegates,
there were
20 from
Michigan,
6 from Iowa,
and 3 from
Wisconsin.
EXCEPTION: Quilting how-to copy (see Q8.1)
Use figures
for dates.
His
birth date
was August
3, 1945.
Use figures
for decades.
Her
favorite
decade was
the ’40s.
Use figures
for highway
and comparable
numbers.
We
took I-80
to Des Moines.
On
this TV
set, we
cannot get
Channel
5.
Flight
527 will
depart from
Gate 4.
Use figures
for house
numbers,
street names
if applicable,
room numbers,
ZIP codes,
and telephone
numbers.
Her
address
is 9 17th
St., Des
Moines,
IA 50312.
His
room number
is 906;
his telephone
number is
515/277-3940.
Use figures
for large
numbers
(10 or more)
in direct
quotations
(except
years),
and for
small measurements
in direct
quotations.
“By
carefully
selecting
the materials,
we were
able to
build a
2,829-square-foot
house for
only $87
a square
foot. We
used 6-inch
nails to
hold it
together,”
the homeowner
says.
Use
figures,
not Roman
numerals,
for volume
and issue-number
designations.
Volume
2, Issue
4
Vol.
2, No. 4
Numbers,
SR18.1
Figures
to represent
numbers,
SR18.2
Words
to represent
numbers,
SR18.3
Telephone
numbers,
SR18.4
Dimensions,
measurements,
and sizes,
SR18.5
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