Comments on: Chinese Baby Puzzle http://www.neosprockets.com/index.php/2009/11/chinese-baby-puzzl/ .. the next generation of engineers and tech professionals .. Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:47:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Derek http://www.neosprockets.com/index.php/2009/11/chinese-baby-puzzl/comment-page-1/#comment-285 Derek Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:32:13 +0000 http://www.neosprockets.com/?p=3057#comment-285 One million points to Nato. He's correct: this system actually has no affect on the standard 50-50 sex-ratio. As Nato pointed out, regardless of any system, births will continue to stay 50-50. In fact, you could modify the problem to say: "You can have as many girls as you want, but once you have your first boy, you must stop having children." And you'd still have a 50-50 ratio. Somewhat counter intuitive, but true! Congrats Nato! One million points to Nato.
He’s correct: this system actually has no affect on the standard 50-50 sex-ratio. As Nato pointed out, regardless of any system, births will continue to stay 50-50.
In fact, you could modify the problem to say: “You can have as many girls as you want, but once you have your first boy, you must stop having children.” And you’d still have a 50-50 ratio. Somewhat counter intuitive, but true!
Congrats Nato!

]]> By: Nato http://www.neosprockets.com/index.php/2009/11/chinese-baby-puzzl/comment-page-1/#comment-257 Nato Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:08:49 +0000 http://www.neosprockets.com/?p=3057#comment-257 Of course, it has been scientifically demonstrated that attractive people tend to have more female children, so the sex of the second child is not completely independent of the sex of the first child - the first child being a female tends to indicate that the parents are more attractive and will tend to have slightly more female children, so even if the ratio is initially 50/50, with this policy, there will tend to be more female children born than males, upsetting that ratio slightly in favor of the females: ++++++====== ++++== Of course, it has been scientifically demonstrated that attractive people tend to have more female children, so the sex of the second child is not completely independent of the sex of the first child – the first child being a female tends to indicate that the parents are more attractive and will tend to have slightly more female children, so even if the ratio is initially 50/50, with this policy, there will tend to be more female children born than males, upsetting that ratio slightly in favor of the females:

++++++======
++++==

]]> By: Nato http://www.neosprockets.com/index.php/2009/11/chinese-baby-puzzl/comment-page-1/#comment-256 Nato Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:05:48 +0000 http://www.neosprockets.com/?p=3057#comment-256 If there are no abortions, and we assume that it is random whether or not a couple has a boy or a girl, and that the sex of their second child is independent of the sex of their first child, then it is completely irrelevant how many couples take advantage of the policy to have a second child. The ratio of men to women born will stay at 50%. Take a population that is having kids. They have kids - half boy and half girl ++++++====== If they have a girl, they have another kid - whose chances of being a boy or girl are 50/50 ++++++====== +++=== Or maybe only a fraction of them have another kid - again, with the odds of either sex at 50% ++++++====== += On average, with no abortions / infanticide, the population will tend to even out to a 50/50 ratio. Unless I'm missing something? If there are no abortions, and we assume that it is random whether or not a couple has a boy or a girl, and that the sex of their second child is independent of the sex of their first child, then it is completely irrelevant how many couples take advantage of the policy to have a second child.
The ratio of men to women born will stay at 50%.

Take a population that is having kids.
They have kids – half boy and half girl

++++++======

If they have a girl, they have another kid – whose chances of being a boy or girl are 50/50

++++++======
+++===

Or maybe only a fraction of them have another kid – again, with the odds of either sex at 50%

++++++======
+=

On average, with no abortions / infanticide, the population will tend to even out to a 50/50 ratio.

Unless I’m missing something?

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