this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2026
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[–] bus_factor@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I think it's short for percentage points in this case. 22% minus 8 percentage points is 14%, which I assume was the fill level of some other dam which was decommissioned.

Pretty confusing phrasing, took me a minute to work out.

[–] wake@quokk.au 4 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

...Why not just say "8 percent away"?

[–] bus_factor@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

22% minus 8 percentage points is 14%.

22% minus 8% is 20.24%.

This is because 8% of 22% is 1.76%, but when using percentage points you just subtract the number.

[–] wake@quokk.au 3 points 1 week ago

Thanks, "8% of 22%" had crossed my mind so thanks for explaining it more succinctly.

[–] WildPalmTree@lemmy.world -2 points 2 weeks ago

Percent and percentage points are not the same. Ignoring the issue at hand, you will do well in life learning this lesson.