Conveying Large Numbers to General Audiences

Year: 1998 Authors: Ross McCluney

Core claim

Large numbers become understandable when represented by relatable physical comparisons, but every such scheme is a compromise shaped by audience perception and political context.

Topics

large numbers, public communication, visual analogy, numerical perspective

Domains

numeration, logarithmic scales, cardinal and ordinal numbers, information visualization, demonstration design, graphic analogy

Methods

comparative examples, physical object counts, graphical charts, audience demonstration

Media

copper bb’s, gum balls, charts, video

Source status

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