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Old 11-11-2009, 01:41 PM
 
2,450 posts, read 5,599,850 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jakabedy View Post
I just tried to do this math and, indeed, cannot make it work. I guess it is possible that some ancestor shows up on both sides of a family tree, but that leads to a whole different set of problems.
Even that wouldn't work, the repeated ancestor would just be counted twice within a multiple of 2. it's not possible to have 3 as a divisor, without some test-tubery going on.
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Old 11-11-2009, 01:44 PM
 
Location: In the Greater Birmingham area
350 posts, read 1,312,410 times
Reputation: 135
Quote:
Originally Posted by jakabedy View Post
I just tried to do this math and, indeed, cannot make it work. I guess it is possible that some ancestor shows up on both sides of a family tree, but that leads to a whole different set of problems.
Yes, if I did the math correctly, one CAN be 1/3 (or very close to) German


A B
German % Other Child % German
100.00% 100.00% = 50.00%
50.00% 100.00% 37.50%
37.50% 100.00% 34.38%
34.38% 100.00% 33.60%
33.60% 100.00% 33.40%
33.40% 100.00% 33.35%
33.35% 100.00% 33.34%

Formula
Take ((1/2 the % of the part that is German) Plus (1/2 the % that is Other)) and divide by 2 Or ((A/2) + (B/2))/2 and repeat for each generation

I think a lot of people are figuring if one parent is 50 German and the other parent is 100% something different, then the child would be 25% German, which is not true, for if I'm doing the math right, the child here would be 37.5% German and here is why .

Only 1/2 of the 50% German parent would transfer to the child or 25% and 1/2 of the 100% Other would transfer over to the child, so (25% + 50%) / 2 = 37.5%. Just use this formula for 7 generations, and you have a child that is 33.3375% German.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here.

Last edited by Back Again; 11-11-2009 at 01:55 PM..
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Old 11-11-2009, 01:53 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Back Again View Post
Yes, if I did the math correctly, one CAN be 1/3 (or very close to) German


Only 1/2 of the 50% German parent would transfer to the child or 25% and 1/2 of the 100% Other would transfer over to the child, so (25% + 50%) / 2 = 37.5%. Just use this formula for 7 generations, and you have a child that is 33.3375% German.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong here.
Well, its true, you could approximate 1/3. I don't really follow your math there, given that a half-German parent with a non-German parent does indeed make a 1/4 German child ( i think you forgot about including the half-non German component of the half-German parent or something). but its true if you had 3 great grand grandparents that were German, you would be 3/8, which almost 1/3. 5 great great gparents out of 16 is pretty darn close. 11 great great greats out of 32 even closer, etc...

All of which has nothing to do with Homewood and any other Birmingham suburb. Unless someone learned their math skills there.
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Old 11-11-2009, 02:00 PM
 
Location: In the Greater Birmingham area
350 posts, read 1,312,410 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluebeard View Post
Well, its true, you could approximate 1/3. I don't really follow your math there, given that a half-German parent with a non-German parent does indeed make a 1/4 German child ( i think you forgot about including the half-non German component of the half-German parent or something). but its true if you had 3 great grand grandparents that were German, you would be 3/8, which almost 1/3. 5 great great gparents out of 16 is pretty darn close. 11 great great greats out of 32 even closer, etc...

Question - If you have a parent that was 50% German, why would you use the full 50% in your equation, yet only use half the amount of the parent that was 100% something else? Why would it not be

((50%/2) + (100%/2))/2 = 37.50% ?
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Old 11-11-2009, 02:20 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Back Again View Post
Question - If you have a parent that was 50% German, why would you use the full 50% in your equation, yet only use half the amount of the parent that was 100% something else? Why would it not be

((50%/2) + (100%/2))/2 = 37.50% ?
i don't really get that, but let's do this.

lets figure out the proportion of non-German first:
the half German parent passes down half of the 50% non-German and the fully non-German parent passes down half of the 100% non-German stock, so
50/2 + 100/2 =25+50 = 75% non-German

now for the German part:
the half German parent passes down half of the 50% German and the fully non-German parent passes down no German stock, so
50/2 + 0/2 = 25 + 0 =25% German

The 75% plus 25%=100% yay!

Last edited by bluebeard; 11-11-2009 at 03:19 PM..
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Old 11-11-2009, 02:58 PM
 
Location: In the Greater Birmingham area
350 posts, read 1,312,410 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluebeard View Post
i don't really get that, but let's do this.

lets figure out the proportion of non-German first:
the half German parent passes down half of the 50% non-German and the fully non-German parent passes down half of the 100% German stock, so
50/2 + 100/2 =25+50 = 75% non-German

now for the German part:
the half German parent passes down half of the 50% German and the fully non-German parent passes down no German stock, so
50/2 + 0/2 = 25 + 0 =25% German

Lets see what others have to say

Lets see what other have to say

The 75% plus 25%=100% yay!
I know we are way way off subject here, but....

But your formula is flawed. you have : 50/2 + 100/2 =25+50 = 75% non-German

You forgot to devide by 2

With your formila this would also be true and we know it is not:

If we had a 100% German and 100% Other
100/2 + 100/2 = 100% of what???? this is why you need to devide the answer of (100/2) + (100/2) by 2 again to come up with 50% German and 50% Other

((100%/2) + 100%/2))/2 = 50% of either German or other

So, I'm not saying I'm correct here, but I stand by my formula of

((50% German/2) + (100% Other/2)) /2 = 37.50 German and 62.50 % Other

Lets see what others have to say

Last edited by Back Again; 11-11-2009 at 03:00 PM.. Reason: .
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Old 11-11-2009, 03:43 PM
 
28,895 posts, read 54,134,340 times
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I'm betting the OP is wondering what the hell happened to her thread. And once someone is seven generations removed from Der Vaterland, it's rather dumb to pronounce oneself German, don't you think? Heck, I'm 50% German from two generations back and I consider myself Welsh more than anything.
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Old 11-11-2009, 03:44 PM
 
28,895 posts, read 54,134,340 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluebeard View Post
He's gonna be in a real lonely club if he's invading in the name of 1/3 Germans
Maybe there's a woman in Irondale who's 2/3rds German and he's trying to achieve Anschluss, if you get my drift.
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Old 11-11-2009, 06:28 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpg35223 View Post
Maybe there's a woman in Irondale who's 2/3rds German and he's trying to achieve Anschluss, if you get my drift.
Dirty Nazi talk... hate to see what the morning after looks like...
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Old 11-11-2009, 06:37 PM
 
Location: In the Greater Birmingham area
350 posts, read 1,312,410 times
Reputation: 135
OK, I see the error of my ways

The formula should be

(Mom is 50% German) + (Dad is 0% German) / 2 = 25%

But hey, it sure looked good the other way

Although it IS possable to be 11/32 german which is 34% ~ Close enough to call one self 1/3 German

Sorry for my bad logic here
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