Big debate - Space or comma in large numbers

[Goughy]

My kids are going to an international school for the first time - US curriculum rather than UK. There are bloody commas everywhere.

I work with a lot of Americans and they defend the comma vociferously. Anything else to them is wrong. I dont like it at all. It looks messy and dated and pointless. However, a bit of research show that style guides - admittedly mostly America - advocate the comma as a delimiter.

So, in your opinion, is ten thousand written as 10 000 or 10,000 or some other way?

 

[silentstriker]

10,000.

10 000 looks like the keyboard isn't working.

 

[Goughy]

10,000.

10 000 looks like the keyboard isn't working.

Of course you would

 

[Tom Halsey]

Haha I thought the comma was a UK thing until now tbf. What do they do in Europe? It's a space there isn't it?

10,000 for me too for largely the same reason as SS.

 

[Goughy]

Haha I thought the comma was a UK thing until now tbf. What do they do in Europe? It's a space there isn't it?

10,000 for me too for largely the same reason as SS.

I guess different schools do things differently. I was educated in the UK and told quite clearly that a comma is unscientific and not a valid mathematical term (or whatever the correct phrase is - it was a long time ago)

I am interested in the results here as I am not adverse to changing how I write it.

 

[silentstriker]

But if the comma isn't scientific, neither is the space. If you're going to do that just write it in actual scientific notation.

 

[Spikey]

comma.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Why would you use a space? Don't the french use full stops and then the comma as their decimal point? i.e. 10,000.15 becomes 10.000,15

Anyway, commas for me.

 

[Athlai]

Comma is the way to go. Though not when actually doing an equation.

10,000 birds flew to Moscow. (Y)
10,000 x 2 = 20,000 (N)
10000 x 2 = 20000 (WAG)

 

[Goughy]

Not looking good for me. I guess unless there is a huge swing overnight then I will have to think about changing to go with the flow. I will not ask a separate question about using Oxford commas as that isn't something I am yet ready to change

 

[Goughy]

Comma is the way to go. Though not when actually doing an equation.

10,000 birds flew to Moscow. (Y)
10,000 x 2 = 20,000 (N)
10000 x 2 = 20000 (WAG)

I can see that. In report writing I see the use when the numbers are surrounded by words. But not when there is a calculation - 11,345 + 15,756 looks far messier than 11 345 + 15 756

 

[Athlai]

Spaces never. Counting forever.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I can see that. In report writing I see the use when the numbers are surrounded by words. But not when there is a calculation - 11,345 + 15,756 looks far messier than 11 345 + 15 756

Neither spaces nor commas when doing calculations for me. When I write reports in excel, I always use commas - even if the report features few words. People tend to be able to digest large numbers more easily if broken up with commas, I have found through experimentation with different report formats.

 

[morgieb]

Commas, which I assumed was the norm in the Anglosphere.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Haha I thought the comma was a UK thing until now tbf. What do they do in Europe? It's a space there isn't it?

10,000 for me too for largely the same reason as SS.

Mainly space (and comma as decimal point as Heef said)

I use commas in English.

The Indians to recommend 1,00,00,000

 

[BoyBrumby]

Comma for me.

Although it doesn't look right in four figure numbers (1,000), but does in five (10,000).

 

[GIMH]

Was taught in school that it should be spaces but more likely to use commas

 

[fredfertang]

It may be something to do with my age, but 10 000 looks quite grotesque to me - somewhat taken by surprise that there is a school of thought that believes it to be correct

 

[sledger]

Haha I thought the comma was a UK thing until now tbf. What do they do in Europe? It's a space there isn't it?

10,000 for me too for largely the same reason as SS.

Yeah, same here.

Had never even heard of spaces being used before ftr.

 

[Riggins]

Don't some people use decimal points and commas the wrong way around? They're the real monsters here.