Where a Loan Payment Goes: Principal, Interest, and Other Amounts
Trace a simplified amortizing payment and distinguish the loan balance from the total amount paid each month.
· 6 min readCrispFacts · 116 articles
CrispFacts Editorial Team
CrispFacts uses a publication byline for research and software-assisted writing. Sources and limitations are identified in each article. This byline does not represent a named clinician or claim medical review.
Filter articles Categories
More Decimal Places Do Not Automatically Mean a Better Measurement
Use a scale example to distinguish display resolution, repeatability, bias, and measurement accuracy.
· 4 min readFrom 4% to 5%: One Percentage Point, but a 25% Increase
Separate absolute changes in rates from relative changes, and see why the denominator matters in comparisons.
· 3 min readNet Weight, Gross Weight, and the Container You Paid For
Identify the measured quantity before comparing a package label, kitchen-scale reading, and shipping weight.
· 4 min readThe Moon’s Monthly Phases Are Usually Not Earth’s Shadow
Follow the geometry of a crescent, a full moon, and a lunar eclipse without confusing illumination with shadow.
· 4 min readWhy Free Storage Does Not Mean a Computer Has Free Memory
Separate RAM, persistent storage, and temporary system activity before interpreting a computer’s capacity numbers.
· 4 min readA 100 Mbps Connection Does Not Download 100 Megabytes Each Second
Convert bits, bytes, decimal and binary prefixes, then estimate a transfer time without promising a real-world speed.
· 3 min readWhat Kind of Average? Mean, Median, and the Shape of the Data
Calculate two averages from the same small dataset, then see how weighting and spread change what a summary can tell you.
· 6 min readWhy a Kilogram Stays a Kilogram When Gravity Changes
Separate mass, gravitational force, and the number displayed by a scale, with an Earth-and-Moon calculation.
· 4 min readWhy 1:25,000 Is a Larger Map Scale Than 1:100,000
Read map ratios, measure an illustrative distance, and distinguish horizontal distance from terrain, detail, and route length.
· 4 min readReading a Light Bulb Label: Brightness, Power, and Color Are Separate
Use lumens, watts, color temperature, and operating assumptions to interpret a bulb label without collapsing them into one rating.
· 4 min readHow Far Is a Light-Year, and What Does It Say About the Past?
Translate light-years into distance, distinguish light travel time from an object’s age, and keep cosmic scale in perspective.
· 4 min readLower Inflation Can Still Mean Higher Prices
Use a three-year price index to distinguish a slowing increase, falling prices, and inflation-adjusted purchasing power.
· 4 min readWhy Household Counts and Family Counts Are Different
Census household and family terms use defined relationships and living arrangements, not everyday judgments about who counts as family.
· 4 min readA Hot Cup and a Warm Bath: What Temperature Leaves Out
Temperature describes thermal state; energy transfer also depends on the material, amount, and change being considered.
· 4 min readA $5 Fee and a 2% Fee Trade Places as the Amount Changes
Find the break-even amount for fee structures and include minimums, caps, and frequency in the comparison.
· 3 min readRenaming .png to .jpg Does Not Convert an Image
A file extension is a label used by software. Conversion changes the data representation inside the file.
· 4 min readWhich Currency Is on Top? Reading an Exchange-Rate Quote
Work through quote direction, inverse rates, fees, and recipient totals using fictional currency-conversion figures.
· 5 min read