Words per minute
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Words per minute, commonly abbreviated wpm, is a measure of input or output speed.
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[edit] Typing
Words per minute (WPM) is a measure of typing speed, commonly used in recruitment.
Words per minute is also a measure of a telegraph or amateur radio operator's Morse code speed. Since the codes for different letters differ in length, one needs to specify a reference word. A commonly-used reference word is "PARIS".
For the purposes of WPM measurement a word is standardized to five characters or keystrokes. So, "fifth" counts as one word, but "fifteenth" counts as two.
The benefits of a standardized measurement of input speed are that it enables comparison across language and hardware boundaries. The speed of an Afrikaans-speaking operator in Cape Town can be compared with a French-speaking operator in Brussels. [citation needed]
Someone having minor experience with keyboards can reach 50 words per minute, an average typist reaches about 80 to 95 (usually the minimum required for dispatch positions and other typing jobs), while advanced typists work at speeds above 120. [citation needed] As of 2005, Barbara Blackburn is the fastest typist in the world, according to The Guinness Book of World Records. Using the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard, she has maintained 150 wpm for 50 minutes, 170 wpm for shorter periods of time, and has been clocked at a peak speed of 212 wpm. Blackburn failed her typing class in high school, first encountered the Dvorak keyboard in 1938, quickly learned to achieve very high speeds, and occasionally toured giving speed-typing demonstrations during her secretarial career.
Using a personalized interface, quadriplegic physicist Stephen Hawking managed to type 15 wpm with a switch and adapted software created by Walt Woltosz. Due to a slowdown of his motor skills, his interface was upgraded with an infrared camera that detects eye blinks. Actual wpm are unknown.
A less common form of finding the speed of a typist, the acronym CPM is used to identify the number of characters typed per minute. This measurement is not a common measurement of speed considering the difference between typing in different languages. [citation needed] This is a common measurement for typing programs, or typing tutors, as it can give a more accurate measure of a person's typing speed without having to type for a prolonged period of time. Also used occasionally for associating the speed of a reader with the amount they have read.
This is also a measurement that can be associated with older models of printers, but this is often not the case. The most common term associated with the speed of printers today is PPM (pages per minute).
[edit] Ten Key
10 key speed is a measure of ones ability to manipulate the numeric keypad found on most keyboards. It is used to measure speed for jobs such as data entry of number information on items such as bills and checks. It is measured in 'Keystrokes per hour', or KPH.
[edit] Reading
Words per minute is a common metric for assessing reading speed. It is often used in the context of remedial skills evaluation. It is also used in the context of speed reading, where it is a controversial measure of reading performance.
A word in this context is the same as in the context of speech.
Educated adults read at 200-350 wpm, at best 400 wpm for full comprehension. Research has shown that speed reading at 600 wpm can achieve about 70% comprehension, and 50% comprehension at 1000 wpm. [citation needed]
[edit] Speech
Books on tape are 150-175 words per minute, slide presentations tend to be closer to 100 wpm. Conversations are around 200 wpm, and although research by Ronald Carver has demonstrated that while adults can listen with full comprehension at 300 wpm, even auctioneers can only speak at about 250 wpm.
The speed of rapping is usually measured in syllables per second or minute. The fastest rapper in the world is MC Ricky Brown, whose record of 723 syllables in 51.27 seconds (14.1 syllables per second) is in the Guinness Book of Records[citation needed] called the "Rip-Rap-Rippety-Roo"
