Nice people thread part 5 - nicely does it

StevieJ

LJ had a feeling you would be one point clear after the cup matches - Well done.

zagubov

This gambling goes right over my head. There's no thrill to me.

I did once have to explain to a class that the ratio of boy: girl babies isn't under direct control in the sense that each time someone has a baby there's a 50:50 chance of boy or girl.

One student proposed that if families stopped having babies after they had a boy, that would skew the ratio. Most of them thought that was plausible.

I had to get them to work it out so they sould see that the ratio would re-establish itself over their behaviour.

Gambling overlaps with superstition too much in my mind. Once you've had enough maths lessons, or let's be honest, arithmetic, there's nothing in it.:o

GDB2222

zagubov wrote: »

This gambling goes right over my head. There's no thrill to me.

I did once have to explain to a class that the ratio of boy: girl babies isn't under direct control in the sense that each time someone has a baby there's a 50:50 chance of boy or girl.

One student proposed that if families stopped having babies after they had a boy, that would skew the ratio. Most of them thought that was plausible.

I had to get them to work it out so they sould see that the ratio would re-establish itself over their behaviour.

Gambling overlaps with superstition too much in my mind. Once you've had enough maths lessons, or let's be honest, arithmetic, there's nothing in it.:o

I am afraid that there is an inherent assumption in what you said, namely that the sex of a child is totally uncorrelated with the sex of earlier children from the same couple. I have heard it suggested that some couples might be more prone to having boys, and vice versa. That would not affect the overall proportion of boys and girls in the population. However, it would provide a mechanism for your student to be correct. ("One student proposed that if families stopped having babies after they had a boy, that would skew the ratio.")

Curiously enough, if this mechanism were in place and people behaved as your student suggested, this would lead to more girls than boys being born.

zagubov

GDB2222 wrote: »

I am afraid that there is an inherent assumption in what you said, namely that the sex of a child is totally uncorrelated with the sex of earlier children from the same couple. I have heard it suggested that some couples might be more prone to having boys, and vice versa. That would not affect the overall proportion of boys and girls in the population. However, it would provide a mechanism for your student to be correct. ("One student proposed that if families stopped having babies after they had a boy, that would skew the ratio.")

Curiously enough, if this mechanism were in place and people behaved as your student suggested, this would lead to more girls than boys being born.

The parent's health status occupation and other factors particularly relating to the dad can affect the ratio.

There's a well-documented surge in boy babies afer both world wars in france and the UK.

I gather in one locale there's an inheritable birth order ie there are more firstborns of one gender than another, but can't remember the details I'm afraid.

lostinrates

Lemonjelly, what a bout a fluffy jelly? I heard of that on mse and tried it once. I love spanish cream, but don't think that sort of set milk pudding is very popular...

lemonjelly

!!!!!! is fluffy jelly?

I hope that within a week/10 days, I may be able to progress to something that might require a little mouth movement.

It's then just a case of getting the rest of me fixed...

lemonjelly

GDB2222 wrote: »

That's never bothered anyone else in the past.

I'm not everybody else...;)

Everyone makes mistakes. That's why they put rubbers on the top of pencils.:)

lostinrates

lemonjelly wrote: »

!!!!!! is fluffy jelly?

I hope that within a week/10 days, I may be able to progress to something that might require a little mouth movement.

It's then just a case of getting the rest of me fixed...

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070918120609AAEx0Og

CKhalvashi

zagubov wrote: »

The parent's health status occupation and other factors particularly relating to the dad can affect the ratio.

There's a well-documented surge in boy babies afer both world wars in france and the UK.

I gather in one locale there's an inheritable birth order ie there are more firstborns of one gender than another, but can't remember the details I'm afraid.

I’ve got 2 girls, and no they weren’t born anytime around a war :eek:

I won’t come out with what’s going through my mind right now

StevieJ

lemonjelly wrote: »

Heathen!!!!

Heathen, ah that was Man Utd's nickname in the 19th century