math question 2

[danaeris]

OK, is it kosher for me to say the quality is directly proportional to the inductance when in fact it is proportional to the square root of the inductance? Does that still count as directly proportional?

That is, Q=const*sqrt(L). I want to describe this as directly proportional. Kosher?

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_duncan/]

no.

"increases with" yes.
"proportional" is a stretch.
"directly proportional" is blatently misleading.

[coffeekitty.livejournal.com]

um, no
do these students not understand the concept of a square root or something?

[qedrakmar.livejournal.com]

"indirectly proportional" as opposed to inversely proportional or some such...

[ghudson.livejournal.com]

So, two people seemed to think that "directly proportional" is worse than "proportional." That doesn't seem right to me; "directly proportional" is just as opposed to inversely proportional.

As joedecker pointed out, the problem is with "proportional."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_duncan/]

This round to you, sir.