Numbers in writing. One, two, 15, 1 million

[talkintree]

I did this really annoying exercise in class the other day.
I can't explain all of it, because I lack the use of my text book, but I can tell you this:

When using numbers in business writing, a person should write out any number that is below 7..or was it 10? I don't remember. Also, any large number should be written out like '1 million'. This is because the 0's confuse people.

So..
One burger
Two chickens
56 telephones
500 geese
1 million hockey players

I didn't know this until now.
Did you?


([yin~yang] EDIT: Edited the title... previously "numbers in writting")  

[ZigguratII]

I typically type out the number that I am trying to communicate. However I believe that typically numbers are used for numbers one hundred and above but only when they are used only for elaboration or for numbers in which many digits are filled.(ex. The speed of light is two hundred ninety-nine million, seven hundred ninety-two thousand, four hundred and fifty-eight meters per second. vs The speed of light is 297,792,458 meters per second.) In this case the second is more appropriate. However in the case of say 1,000,000,000 - it is better to write only one billion.  

[Ame Yuki Kaze]

I was taught to write out any number below ten and that any number over 11 can be written numerically.  

[Gigglypuff]

I'm not sure what the official rule is for that. All I know is that my last year's language arts teacher told us that the numbers 20 and under have to be written out, and all other numbers can just be written as numbers.  

[Sola Catella]

I just write out all numbers that aren't horribly full of digits and long (as Ziggurat said, I won't write out something like 297,792,458, but I will write out fifty-six) because I tend to dislike the look of Indo-Arabic numerals unless I'm doing math.  

[Emmanuela]

I never actually knew that there were rules for this. I generally type out the number in letter form for essays, and only ever use the numerical form when I'm using informal language. Wow, you learn a new thing every day...  

[Embodiment Of The Living]

Hm, really now? Interesting little bit of infomation... Anyway, I was never taught to write any number out, until the first year of high school, pathetic, right?  

[Obito Sharingan Uchiha]

I personally type out munbers in words, I don't really know how to eplain it, so I'll show you:

• If I have exactly a certain amount of thousands, I commonly put the number, and then k(k means thousand, by the way.)
  
• If I have exaclt a certain amount of milions, I put that amount and then mil.
  
• Anything lower than 999 I put in digets.
  

 

[Ithaya]

I write everything under a hundred out in full, usually. I've never really had to write anything much bigger in formal writing (only maths). Although, I put things like 'one million, two million, thirty five million, seven and a half thousand' in words.
But with things like 13, 455, I think I'd write it in digits.

And I put dates in digits. The year, I mean. Like 1993, instead of 'nineteen ninety three' (hyphenated or not?' or 'one thousand nine hundred and ninety three'.
And phone numbers, and things like door numbers and bank account numbers (say if your character was giving them out), are all in digits.


But if I'm not writing formally, like on here, MSN, or in my notes, I'll just write in digits (sometimes).  

[beliael]

Yami no Hitokiri

I was taught to write out any number below ten and that any number over 11 can be written numerically.

That's what I was taught too. One, two, three, four... nine, ten, 11, 12... one million, two million... 11 million and so on. I'm not sure if that's exactly how to do it but I've had no trouble with in assessment writing.  

[Ceegamus]

beliael

Yami no Hitokiri

I was taught to write out any number below ten and that any number over 11 can be written numerically.

That's what I was taught too. One, two, three, four... nine, ten, 11, 12... one million, two million... 11 million and so on. I'm not sure if that's exactly how to do it but I've had no trouble with in assessment writing.

That's what I was taught too.  

[dark_elf]

Child_Of_Sephiroth

Hm, really now? Interesting little bit of infomation... Anyway, I was never taught to write any number out, until the first year of high school, pathetic, right?

Don't feel bad, I don't remember everbeing taught this number stuff. neutral Also I don't write numbers much, if I did though I would go one, two...twenty and then 21,22 and so on, also anything above the point of thousands. (I'm not fully sure what I mean sweatdrop )  

[Gomer Tymur]

Before I was in sixth grade, I was never taught to write numbers this way. (Actually, I wasn't even taught it, my Tech Ed teacher "refreshed" my memory) But he said to write one to twelve out, and thirteen and on in numbers.  

[ZigguratII]

The most important thing is consistency.

"I interviewed 17 people and seven said this, but 11 also said this and 2 said that eight are that." - Looks very poor and doesn't read quite as smoothly as it should.  

[Buffy_Summers_Rox]

IF you have to write 1 million, shouldn't you have to write 5 hundred?