19.3 Combining Numerals and Words.

Use a combination of numerals and words to express rounded large numbers and consecutive numerical expressions.Rounded large numbers, such as those starting with million, should be expressed with numerals and words.The disease affects 5 million to 6 million people. [Note that the word million is repeated to avoid ambiguity.]The word million signifies the quantity 106, while billion signifies the quantity 109. Although billion has traditionally signified 1012 (1 million million) in Britain, many British medical journals now use billion to indicate the quantity 109. A number may be expressed in million rather than billion if the latter term could create ...Less

When 2 numbers appear consecutively in a sentence, either reword the sentence or spell out 1 of the numbers for clarity.Study participants were provided twenty 5-mL syringes. Avoid: In the cohort of 1500, 690 were men.Better: In the cohort of fifteen hundred, 690 were men.Or: In the cohort, 690 of the 1500 individuals were men. The envelope contained 3 copies of the manuscript and one 3.5-in diskette.However, numerals may be listed consecutively if they refer to items in an array. As always, clarity and common sense should guide usage.The life expectancy of groups 1, 2, and 3 was 69, 83, ...Less

Rounded large numbers, such as those starting with million, should be expressed with numerals and words.The disease affects 5 million to 6 million people. [Note that the word million is repeated to avoid ambiguity.]The word million signifies the quantity 106, while billion signifies the quantity 109. Although billion has traditionally signified 1012 (1 million million) in Britain, many British medical journals now use billion to indicate the quantity 109. A number may be expressed in million rather than billion if the latter term could create ambiguity. In that case, the decimal should be moved 3 places to the right. Trillion ...Less