From the Latin adverb quotiēns meaning "how often, how many times," which in turn comes from the word quot, meaning "how many," the word quotient is the number that results from the division of one number by another, or "how often" one number goes into another. A quotient is also the numerical ratio (usually multiplied by 100) between a test score and a standard value, like an intelligence quotient (or IQ) that assesses human intelligence against the statistical average based on a standardized test. We also get the word quota from this Latin root, which is "a fixed number of something that a person or group is entitled to receive or is bound to contribute."
Friday, March 25, 2022