Hi,

Which version of Org are you using?

7.6 (archive from org) with very few org-related customizations
(Emacs-Starter-Kit along with one or two small changes) behaved properly.

I took your original table and updated the formulas and the values behaved
as whole numbers rather than fractions

| Headline                                                              |
Time    |       |      |       |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------+---------+-------+------+-------|
| *Total time*                                                          |
*28:09* |       |      |     0 |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------+---------+-------+------+-------|
| Lawsuit for Debt Against Rose Funding, LLC (1016-cv18431)             |
28:09   |       |      |     0 |
| Activities
|         | 28:09 |      |     0 |
| DONE Activity Log
|         |       | 0:05 |   250 |
| DONE Draft Complaint for Damages
|         |       | 5:40 | 17000 |
| DONE Meet with Kevin Jones and Elizabeth Bennett re Complaint
|         |       | 0:32 |  1600 |
| DONE [#A] Motion for Appointment of Private Process Server
|         |       | 1:24 |  4200 |
| DONE [#A] File Affidavit of Service with Court
|         |       | 0:25 |  1250 |
| [2010-07-27 Tue 11:16] Phone call from Mark Sheister
|         |       | 0:11 |   550 |
| Research regarding compulsory counterclaim, res judicata
|         |       | 1:23 |  4150 |
| Work on brief in opposition to motion to dismiss.
|         |       | 3:03 |  9150 |
| Prepared for Hearing
|         |       | 0:24 |  1200 |
| Hearing on Case Status (Div 25:7th Flr) <2010-10-19 Tue 09:00>
|         |       | 0:30 |  1500 |
| Hearing on Motion to Dismiss <2010-11-30 Tue 09:00>
|         |       | 1:15 |  3750 |
| Hearing on Motion to Dismiss <2010-12-21 Tue 09:00>
|         |       | 1:09 |  3450 |
| Status Hearing <2011-01-25 Tue 09:00>
|         |       | 1:31 |  4550 |
| Status Hearing <2011-04-26 Tue 09:00>
|         |       | 1:42 |  5100 |
| Called Kevin [[bbdb:Stacy]].  Left voicemail to call re settlement offer.
|         |       | 0:04 |   200 |
| DONE Call [[bbdb:Sheister]] with counter offer.
|         |       | 0:06 |   300 |
| [#B] Draft Interrogatories for Rose, Swords
|         |       | 4:48 | 14400 |
| Argo Status Hearing <2011-06-28 Tue 09:00>
|         |       | 1:09 |  3450 |
| Letter of Discovery Deficiencies
|         |       | 2:48 |  8400 |
#+TBLFM: $5=$4*50;Df2

Not sure where the issue might be in your case, however the formula should
behave correctly.

Jonathan

On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 11:55, Daniel E. Doherty <ded-law@ddoherty.net>wrote:

> At Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:37:55 +0200,
> Giovanni Ridolfi wrote:
> >
> > Daniel E. Doherty <ded-law@ddoherty.net> writes:
> >
> > > That's certainly thinking outside the box, but I don't think it
> > > works.
> >
> > Actually, Daniel you don't have to *think*, you've to demonstrate
> > that it works or that it doesn't /tertium non datur/.
> >
> > > In your example, 1:09 represents 1/9th in calc's fraction mode,
> > > not 1+9/60 which it would have to in order to compute with it.
> > Not with GNU/Emacs 23.3 calc.
> >
> > If you bill 50 per 1 hour, you bill
> >
> > (/ 50 60.0 ) is 0.83 per minute.
>
> Agreed.
>
> >
> > If you bill 1 hour + 9 minutes it is 69 minutes
> >
> > (* 0.83 69) 57.269999999999996  = 57.27
> >
> > isn't it ?
> >
>
> It is.
>
> > And the fifth column in my table (see below) does compute 57.27 or not?
> >
>
> Not.  At least when I do it.  Here's what I get after recalcing your
> example.
>
> | Argo Status Hearing <2011-06-28 Tue 09:00> |   |   | 1:09 | 0.09 |
> | Letter of Discovery Deficiencies           |   |   | 2:48 | 0.03 |
> #+TBLFM: $5=$4*0.83;Df2
>
> Maybe I have a different mode setting or something.  You seem to have
> the $4, or 1:09, being interpreted as 69, but I have it being
> interpreted as a calc fraction, i.e., 1/9 = 0.11111111.  So 0.83 *
> 0.111111 gives me 0.9259, which rounds to 0.9.
>
> >    You may say: "Ah but this is only one example, you've been lucky!"
> >
>
> I would.
>
> >  I reply, what about the second line?
> >
> > (* (+ 120 48) 0.83) = 139.44
> >
> > Calc is *really* smart, isn't it?
>
> Undoubtedly.  Apart from Org, my favorite features of Emacs.  I'm
> waiting for vi to duplicate that functionality.
>
> Thanks for taking the time to look at this.
>
> >
> > cheers,
> > Giovanni
> >
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > >
> > > At Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:07:28 +0200,
> > > Giovanni Ridolfi wrote:
> > >>
> > >> Daniel E. Doherty <ded-law@ddoherty.net> writes:
> > >>
> > >> > Hi all,
> > >> >
> > >> > I am trying to use orgmode to bill for time.  My idea is to add a
> column
> > >> > that multiplies the elapsed time column by an hourly rate.
> > >>
> > >> what about using a minute rate?
> > >>
> > >> (/ 50 60.0) 0.83 so:
> > >>
> > >> | Argo Status Hearing <2011-06-28 Tue 09:00> |   |   | 1:09 |  57.27 |
> > >> | Letter of Discovery Deficiencies           |   |   | 2:48 | 139.44 |
> > >> #+TBLFM: $5=$4*0.83;Df2
> > >>
> > >>
>
>