Are these sentences natural? Feb 23

[musicgold]

Hi,

Are the following sentences natural to a native ear?

1. What will be the distribution of Variable B, which is a product of X and Y?

2. Let me know when you close the file / let me know when you are out of the file.

3. Its all a question of the economics. (this was my answer to a question as to whether we would undertake all the projects we have in front of us).

Thanks,
MG.

[shannico]

As for n.1, Are you asking two separate questions? If you are, I would suggest
What wil the distribution of Variable B be? Which is a product of X and Y? or
or
if your which is a product of X and Y is a statement, I would rephrase the question as follows
Considering/Given that Variable B is the product of X and Y, what will its distribution be?
Then again it sounds like Economics or Maths, neither of which I am an expert of by all means...

As for n.2 you could also say
Let me know when you exit the file

As for n.3, I would prefer
It all depends on the economics (what economics? e.g. the economics we have discussed). Of course the bold part in brackets you may leave out, depending on whether the economics you've referred to may be easily inferred from the context.

Please note, if you decide to stick to your n.3 please amend ITS to IT'S
Hope it helps
Shan

[BobSmith]

As for n.2 you could also say
Let me know when you exit the file

[not a teacher]

If the file in question is a physical (not computer) file, you would not exit it. I also would never "exit" a computer file. I would close it and get out of it. My $0.02.

[shannico]

You are so right about the physical file. I totally overlooked that meaning. However, I've been told many times to exit a computer file, especially by techies...

[Barb_D]

3. It's all a question of the economics.

.

[BobSmith]

[am a techie]

You don't exit out of files. You exit out of programs that open, edit, and close files. Again, just my $0.02.