Tuesday, April 23, 2019

single word requests - Low-variance time set or Low-varying time set



I have a time set like: {5 seconds, 5.1 seconds, 4.9 seconds ....} -> the time values do not change much (has low variance).



Can I define it as: Low-variance time set or Low-varying time set?



I mean, is it grammatically correct? If not how to say it in one word?




Another question: can I say it as Low-value time set (I want to say that it contains small time numbers).



Please help (not good in english). Thanks in advance.


Answer



I think the proposed "Low-varying" term would feel unnatural for a native speaker.



"Low" is generally only used with noun forms, e.g. "low variance" or "low probability". With a word like "varying", you would usually attach an adverb, e.g. "minimally-varying", "slightly-varying", or "mildly-varying", just to name a few.



We might also choose to say something a little more verbose, e.g. "a set of times with low variance".




"Low-value time set" is somewhat more natural, though I think again a native speaker would choose something more verbose, e.g. "a set of low-value times" or "a set of times with low values".



Being concise is a good goal, as it is considerate of your reader's time, but it can cost them time when there's no brief-but-easily-understood term available. Sometimes it's better to expand a little.


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