Meaning of "The population has increased 3 times"

[Sureshvemuri]

Initially it was -1
Now it is - 3
"The population has increased 3 times"
Is this correct?
Thanks,
Suresh

[Alan]

Hi Suresh,

What you have written is that over a period of time the population has gone up three times. If you mean that the population has increased by a factor of three, you would have to say: The population has increased threefold or three times as much.

Alan
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[Twim]

Hi everybody,

Sorry for upping an old thread, but I wonder why it is "by a factor of three" ("by a factor 3") and not "by the factor of three". Any suggestions?

twim