figureoften

Figureoften is a term used in information design and corpus analysis to quantify how frequently numeric figures appear in a text. It describes the density of quantitative information within a document, including measurements, statistical values, dates, and other numerals. The concept is used to study technical writing, data journalism, and scientific reporting, where numeric detail is often central to argumentation and transparency. It is not a fixed standard, but rather a heuristic metric that can be adapted to different corpora and styles.

Calculation and methodology: figureoften is typically defined as the number of numeric expressions per 1,000 words. A numeric expression includes standalone numbers, numbers within units (5 kg), dates (2020-01-01), percentages (12%), and measurements (3.4 meters). Counting rules may vary; some schemes distinguish digits-only tokens from written numbers. The resulting figureoften is reported as a rate (for example, 12.5 per 1,000 words) to enable cross-document comparison. Tools for text processing can be configured to identify numeric expressions across languages and conventions.

Usage and interpretation: a higher figureoften suggests a more data-driven or technical text, while a lower figureoften aligns with narrative prose. It can help editors balance clarity and precision and assist researchers in evaluating the data-density of a document series or reporting standards. Limitations include variation in counting rules, context dependence, and differences in numeric formatting across domains.

Origin and reception: the term figureoften appears in discussions of information density and readability rather than as a formal metric with universal standards. As a flexible concept, it is often reported alongside other density measures in style guides and corpus studies. See also: numeral density, data density, readability.