Twins

[CajunCenturion]

The AP (Associated Press) article has been printed in many papers, More U.S. women having twins; rate at 1 in 30 babies, but I wonder what it really means.
If 1 in 30 is a twin, does it mean that the other 29 are not twins? If so, then when is the other twin counted? In the next 30?
Does is really mean that 2 out of every 60 children born are twins?

I would think it would be clearer to say that 1 in 30 mothers are having twins. How would you say it so that it's not ambiguous?



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[rjoubert]

I'm guessing that should've read, "...rate at 1 in 30 births.

 

[rjoubert]

I just saw a similar article (

http://www.wthr.com/story/16448294/twin-birth-rate-on-the-rise)

which states "About one in every 30 newborns has a twin brother or sister.

 

[SamBones]

which states "About one in every 30 newborns has a twin brother or sister."

Heh, still kind of ambiguous! If only one in 30 newborns has a twin brother or sister, doesn't that twin brother or sister also have a twin? So would it really be two in 30? Or are we back to two in 60?

Actually, the funniest part of the article is this...

http://www.wthr.com/story/16448294/twin-birth-rate-on-the-rise[/URL]]A new report from the Centers for Disease Control shows the twin birth rate has risen 76 percent since 1980.

The Centers for Disease Control?!? Since when is a birth considered a disease?

Heh.

 

[kwbMitel]

I read the article as the twin not being counted in the total number of babies. 1 in 30 babies has a twin = 29 single births and 1 set of twins = 31 babies total.

One would say that a mother gave birth (singular) to twins. As such. the article might better have been titled as 1 in 30 births include a twin.



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[SantaMufasa]

My brother and sister are identical twins. <grin>

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

 

[Annihilannic]

I realised that I wasn't the favourite when my mother asked me to help organise a surprise birthday party for my twin brother...

Annihilannic
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[N1GHTEYES]

How about:

Of all the pregnancies which come to term, 1 out of every 59, on average, results in twins. That is, assuming that they really meant that 1 in 30 of the recently-born members of the population are twins.

Or:

Of all the pregnancies which come to term, 1 out of every 30, on average, results in twins. Assuming that they really meant that 2 in 31 of the recently-born members of the population are twins.

In both cases above, the effect on the numbers caused by triplets, quads etc. have been ignored.

Tony

 

[SamBones]

I once heard a comedian rambling on something like this...

... I was one of a set of twins. My brother was born on May 7th. I was born a week later, and then again ten days after that. ...

It was a stream of consciousness ramble about his life that was full of things like that. It was pretty funny as I remember.

 

[BadBigBen]

Twins Born In 2011 & 2012!

http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/Twins-Born-In-2011--2012-136531673.html

Ben
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