200% growth rate (2024)

When people say 200% growth rate, what do they mean? Does it mean if you had 10 units to start, after one "period" you have 30? or do you have 20?<BR><BR>Based on how 100% growth rate sounds, it would make me think it should mean Units*(1+(GrowthRate/100))^Time, but I'm not sure, because before I thought about it for a second, 200% growth <I>sounded</I> like a doubling. Is there a difference between "200% growth", or "200% growth rate"?

oh boy!

The only constant here is that the vast majority of people don't know how to express rates and percentages properly. So you should always clarify and make sure to find out what they really mean.<BR><BR>They will also not understand your explanations about why they are wrong, so don't even bother.

Okay...<BR><BR>rate implies a number of units over a period of time<BR><BR>So, assuming 1 period of time, a 200% growth rate (lacking any other units), would imply x+(2x) or (x+(2xp)) where 'p' is the number of periods of time.<BR><BR>Something 200% of x is only 2x.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Frennzy:<BR>Okay...<BR><BR>rate implies a number of units over a period of time<BR><BR>So, assuming 1 period of time, a 200% growth rate (lacking any other units), would imply x+(2x) or (x+(2xp)) where 'p' is the number of periods of time.<BR><BR>Something 200% of x is only 2x. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>this

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<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Frennzy:<br>Okay...<br><br>rate implies a number of units over a period of time<br><br>So, assuming 1 period of time, a 200% growth rate (lacking any other units), would imply x+(2x) or (x+(2xp)) where 'p' is the number of periods of time.<br><br>Something 200% of x is only 2x. </div>
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<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Frennzy:<br>Okay...<br><br>rate implies a number of units over a period of time<br><br>So, assuming 1 period of time, a 200% growth rate (lacking any other units), would imply x+(2x) or (x+(2xp)) where 'p' is the number of periods of time.<br><br>Something 200% of x is only 2x. </div>
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<br><br>For the math challenged, he's saying a growth rate of 200% is 3x the original, and 200% of something is just 2x the original. -- View image here: http://episteme.arstechnica.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif -- (which is what I take those terms to mean also)

(keep in mind that is overly simplified to make it literal and not compounded, an actual 200% growth rate would not be linear...)

42 is the answer to everything

IME, you have to ask the 'splainer precisely what it is they mean.<BR><BR>But yes, a growth rate of 200% will be 3x the starting point.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Frennzy:<BR>Okay...<BR><BR>rate implies a number of units over a period of time<BR><BR>So, assuming 1 period of time, a 200% growth rate (lacking any other units), would imply x+(2x) or (x+(2xp)) where 'p' is the number of periods of time.<BR><BR>Something 200% of x is only 2x. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Frennzy:<BR>Okay...<BR><BR>rate implies a number of units over a period of time<BR><BR>So, assuming 1 period of time, a 200% growth rate (lacking any other units), would imply x+(2x) or (x+(2xp)) where 'p' is the number of periods of time.<BR><BR>Something 200% of x is only 2x. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Frennzy:<BR>Okay...<BR><BR>rate implies a number of units over a period of time<BR><BR>So, assuming 1 period of time, a 200% growth rate (lacking any other units), would imply x+(2x) or (x+(2xp)) where 'p' is the number of periods of time.<BR><BR>Something 200% of x is only 2x. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Frennzy:<BR>Okay...<BR><BR>rate implies a number of units over a period of time<BR><BR>So, assuming 1 period of time, a 200% growth rate (lacking any other units), would imply x+(2x) or (x+(2xp)) where 'p' is the number of periods of time.<BR><BR>Something 200% of x is only 2x. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Oh yeah? Well I can quote Frennzy 200% of the times you can, Miwa!

This thread is now about nesting the previous poster's quotes to illustrate a growth rate of 200%*<BR><BR><BR><BR><small>Seriously. Don't.</small>

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Migrant Programmer:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Frennzy:<BR>Okay...<BR><BR>rate implies a number of units over a period of time<BR><BR>So, assuming 1 period of time, a 200% growth rate (lacking any other units), would imply x+(2x) or (x+(2xp)) where 'p' is the number of periods of time.<BR><BR>Something 200% of x is only 2x. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Frennzy:<BR>Okay...<BR><BR>rate implies a number of units over a period of time<BR><BR>So, assuming 1 period of time, a 200% growth rate (lacking any other units), would imply x+(2x) or (x+(2xp)) where 'p' is the number of periods of time.<BR><BR>Something 200% of x is only 2x. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Frennzy:<BR>Okay...<BR><BR>rate implies a number of units over a period of time<BR><BR>So, assuming 1 period of time, a 200% growth rate (lacking any other units), would imply x+(2x) or (x+(2xp)) where 'p' is the number of periods of time.<BR><BR>Something 200% of x is only 2x. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Frennzy:<BR>Okay...<BR><BR>rate implies a number of units over a period of time<BR><BR>So, assuming 1 period of time, a 200% growth rate (lacking any other units), would imply x+(2x) or (x+(2xp)) where 'p' is the number of periods of time.<BR><BR>Something 200% of x is only 2x. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Oh yeah? Well I can quote Frennzy 200% of the times you can, Miwa! </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I think you're off by 27%.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Searchy:<BR>42 is the answer to everything </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Except, unfortunately, the question "how do you kill quarter and bury a joke that was overused even 5 years ago?"

AFAIK, it's the same principle as compounding interest.<BR><BR>If something is growing by 200% annually, it's tripling in size every year. At the end of the year, you have 300% of what you started with at the beginning of the year.

Let's break it down. Let's say for this period, you sell 10 units. Next period, you sell 12 units which is 20% more than the previous period so it is a 20% growth rate. Now, for a 200% growth rate, by using the above logic, the initial period sold 10 units and then this period sold 30 units.

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<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Searchy:<br>42 is the answer to everything </div>
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<br><br>NO IT ISN'T<br><br>THAT'S THE f*ckING JOKE<br><br><br><br>-- View image here: http://episteme.arstechnica.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif --

200% <I>of</I> something represents a doubling of the value: 2x. <BR><BR>A 200% <I>change</I> in something represents a tripling of the original value: x + 2x = 3x.<BR><BR>A 200% <I>rate</I> means that for each time period, the value <I>changes</I> by 2x: x[t] = x[t-1] + 2x[t-1]. <BR><BR><pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">
t value
--- -----
0 x
1 x + 2x = 3x
2 3x + 2*3x = 9x
3 9x + 2*9x = 27x
</pre><BR><BR>So yeah, you triple your amount every time period.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by bluloo:<BR>IME, you have to ask the 'splainer precisely what it is they mean.<BR><BR>But yes, a growth rate of 200% will be 3x the starting point. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>IME when people are talking about growth rate they are almost talking about a case where 0% growth is staying the same. So 200% growth would be 3x, and 50% growth would be 1.5x

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by HappyBunny:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by bluloo:<BR>IME, you have to ask the 'splainer precisely what it is they mean.<BR><BR>But yes, a growth rate of 200% will be 3x the starting point. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>IME when people are talking about growth rate they are almost talking about a case where 0% growth is staying the same. So 200% growth would be 3x, and 50% growth would be 1.5x </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>++<BR><BR>If you planted a two foot tall sapling and it grew one foot this season, you wouldn't say it grew 36", would you? No, you would say it grew 12", or 50%.

It grew <b>by</b> 50% or <b>to</b> 150% of its initial size. -- View image here: http://episteme.arstechnica.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --

They mean:<BR><BR>y'= 2*y<BR><BR>Which implies:<BR><BR>y = c*e^(2*t)<BR><BR>Hahaha... which is probably not really what they mean.

And here I thought this was going to be a thread about "male enhancement" medications.

Are we talking with engineering, finance or marketing?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Are we talking with engineering, finance or marketing? </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Not sure. It's something that popped into my head due to past experiences I guess, wasn't brought upon me by some recent event. <BR><BR><BR>Sounds like the consensus is that 200% is a tripling, although it sounds like one should be careful with that usage.

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<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jid:<br>And here I thought this was going to be a thread about "male enhancement" medications. </div>
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<br><br>Well "200% growth rate" sounds more impressive than "it gets a whole inch bigger!". v-- View image here: http://episteme.arstechnica.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --v

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tuborg:<BR>They mean:<BR><BR>y'= 2*y<BR><BR>Which implies:<BR><BR>y = c*e^(2*t)<BR><BR>Hahaha... which is probably not really what they mean. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Hee...no, I don't think they're talking about an exponential growth rate.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by AngrySaki:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Are we talking with engineering, finance or marketing? </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Not sure. It's something that popped into my head due to past experiences I guess, wasn't brought upon me by some recent event. <BR><BR><BR>Sounds like the consensus is that 200% is a tripling, although it sounds like one should be careful with that usage. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Typically the way I see it is something like "grew by 200%" or "200% growth" which would both be a tripling. As opposed to "grew to 200%" or "200% of the previous value" which would both be doubling. You see them both get used at times, but the wording is enough to tip you off. If they are using that wording to mean the other way, they are wrong. "Grew by 200%" and "200% growth" should never mean doubling, because that would imply "Grew by 0%" means it went to zero, and "50% growth" means it <I>dropped</I> to half, both of which really make no sense.

This is a case where if I read or heard "200% growth" I would be sure that I knew what they <B><I>said</B></I>, but not so much sure that I knew what they meant.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by jbode:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tuborg:<BR>They mean:<BR><BR>y'= 2*y<BR><BR>Which implies:<BR><BR>y = c*e^(2*t)<BR><BR>Hahaha... which is probably not really what they mean. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Hee...no, I don't think they're talking about an exponential growth rate. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Why not? Compound interest is exponential growth. There are many common examples. I would even say that technically, "growth rate" implies an exponential model.<BR><BR>If you mean something else, you should say "increased by" or "decreased by".

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2000/05/26/<BR><BR>You know exactly what comic I linked.<BR><BR>But you are going to click on it anyway.<BR><BR>Because it is damn funny and you will laugh anyway.

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<br>You know exactly what comic I linked. </div>
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<br>Yes. Yes I do.<br><br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
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<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">But you are going to click on it anyway. </div>
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<br>WRONG! I clicked not! Just to piss you off. -- View image here: http://episteme.arstechnica.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_razz.gif --