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obtains

English translation: gives, yields

12:00 Aug 13, 2009
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Science - Science (general) / scientific writing
English term or phrase: obtains
Multiplying by 100 obtains the mass percentage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_fraction_(chemistry)

Is such a usage of "obtain" acceptable here?
Nik-On/Off
Ukraine
Local time: 07:56
Selected answer:gives, yields
Explanation:
"Obtains" isn't right here - although it would be correct to say "Multiply by 100 to obtain the mass percentage".

Selected response from:

Armorel Young
Local time: 05:56
Grading comment
Thanks, everybody!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +14gives, yields
Armorel Young
5obtains / to obtain
Andy Carr
4Yes
B D Finch
5 -1achieves
Chris Ellison


  

Answers


10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Yes


Explanation:
What do you think is wrong with it?

B D Finch
France
Local time: 06:56
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +14
gives, yields


Explanation:
"Obtains" isn't right here - although it would be correct to say "Multiply by 100 to obtain the mass percentage".



Armorel Young
Local time: 05:56
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Thanks, everybody!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jenni Lukac (X)
5 mins
agree  Dr. Andrew Frankland
8 mins
agree  Claire Cox: Yes quite - it's a funny old language, isn't it?
10 mins
agree  Chris Ellison: Give is nice! ;)
11 mins
agree  Angela Dickson (X): "obtains" is perfectly understandable, but intuitively we know it's not quite right.
14 mins
agree  Rolf Keiser
50 mins
agree  writeaway
1 hr
agree  Jack Doughty
1 hr
agree  jccantrell: 'yields' was my first thought.
2 hrs
agree  Judith Hehir: yields or produces
3 hrs
agree  Michael Barnett: "Obtain" used in this context is somewhat archaic and definitely formal. It is absolutely correct but not used frequently in everyday language.
5 hrs
agree  Sabine Akabayov, PhD
5 hrs
agree  Phong Le
1 day 1 hr
agree  George C.
1 day 3 hrs
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
obtains / to obtain


Explanation:
"Multiplying by 100 obtains the mass percentage."
Obtains would be used in the context of a worked answer

An instructional text would use the imperative:
"Multiply by 100 to obtain the mass percentage"

give / to give could be used to replace obtain / to obtain in the above

Andy Carr
Local time: 05:56
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
achieves


Explanation:
This is just another typically seen option, but one which I would prefer in this context. ;)

Chris Ellison
Spain
Local time: 06:56
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Angela Dickson (X): I can't disagree with the fact that you prefer this, but I don't think it sounds right, myself, and I wouldn't agree it's typically seen.//I don't disagree that the words "achieves" "the" and "percentage" may appear together on lots of websites.
7 mins
  -> Results 1 - 10 of approximately 20,300,000 of "achieves the percentage" - so fairly typical ;)
disagree  Cilian O'Tuama: a search for the exact term (i.e. within quotation marks) yields about 5 hits - so not so typical after all.
51 mins
  -> OK - the only one which gives any results with "" is "gives" - so go with that :)
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