Ok, we have a bet then. I will bet you 0.4 BTC that something going up by 2.5x does not equal it going up 250%.
I will accept whatever rpietila says the correct answer.
Darlings, I'd like to know if I can get in on this action? illodin doesn't seem to have grasped elementary school math, and I'd love to make an easy 0.4 BTC!
No, this is something that has arisen due to innumeracy. A two-fold increase is the same as a 100% increase because of the base against which we're comparing. So if something increases 100% it means "it has increased by 100% of the original amount", i.e. it has doubled. When something increases by 250% it means "it has increased by 250% of the original amount", i.e. it is 3.5x the original.
Edit: just to add that this is such a counter-intuitive way to put things and often leads to confusion among those more mathematically inclined, so don't feel embarrassed if you owe illodin 0.4 BTC. Going up
by 2.5x is the same as increasing
to 250% but not the same as increasing
by 250%.
