What does 3 times less mean?

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it's one of those woolly made up things that don't actually mean anything

 

The problem is that it actually does mean something, but it doesn't mean what people use it to mean.

 

It stems, I think, from a fundamental innumeracy - a problem which is enormously widespread. Specifically, people believing that if X is three times bigger than Y, then Y must be three times smaller than X. It is, in fact, one-third the size; something "three times smaller" would be minus-two X.

 

 

The same problem applies with percentages, with people assuming that they are reversible when they are not. The advert that claims "200% less than rival brand" actually means that the rival brand is 200% more, and that their own brand is 66% less. They do this because 200% looks more impressive than 66%; they get away with it, because maths is so appallingly badly taught in this country that most people are too innumerate to pick up on the error.

 

 

The classic example of the innumerate person using percentages, was the chap who goes out with £10 in his pocket and finds a £5 note on the ground. "Excellent," he thinks to himself, "my wealth has increased by 50%." He shoves the fiver in his coat pocket, but unbeknownst to him, the coat pocket has a hole in it; when he reaches the pub he finds that he's lost the fiver again, and only has the £10 he started with. "Never mind," he thinks, "my wealth has only decreased by 33%, but it went up 50% earlier. I'm still 17% ahead!"

[Mecky]

300% taken away is a minus figure.

 

I reckon it simply means divide by 3, but the person making the claim probably doesn't know what it means anyway.

 

well duhhhhhhhhhhh