So i Think my Doctor might Be a quack?????

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
#1- 420Fred420 did not say that. I did.

Sorry wrong copy/paste. I will give you credit.

No problem. I think we're saying pretty much the same thing, I was just pointing out that the average has been about the same for a while.

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
No problem. I think we're saying pretty much the same thing, I was just pointing out that the average has been about the same for a while.

Which is wrong. Heights have varied wildly over the last few centuries. Heck, in the last ~40 years, the AVERAGE height of males aged 20-74 has risen by ~1.5 inches. And no, this didn't occur by the males who are 40-74 shrinking. Instead, this rise occured by the males 20-40 being significantly taller.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: dullard

So im thinking wtf is this guy talking about? because if that was true wouldnt we be shrinking over the years? I thought doctors were suppoesed to be smart right?

Why would we be shrinking if that was true? Instead, we would all reach the same height.

The doctor is semi-correct. Most people are roughly the height of their parents. There is one major flaw though. He isn't taking into account better nutrition and better health care. These two factors generally add a significant amount to height. That is why men tend to be ~6 feet tall now when a hundred years ago, ~5 feet tall was common.

Well, men would be shrinking and women would be growing taller. The end result is we would be 'normalizing' until men and women were identical heights. This is not the case. Oh and I'm 6'6, my dad is 6'2 and my mom is 5 foot something.

 

[NakaNaka]

Originally posted by: dighn

Originally posted by: hypn0tik
I'm taller than both my parents. I guess I'm abnormal too.

same here, LOL

Same here.

 

[Medicine Bear]

Is his name Nick Riviera?

 

[zebano]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: 420fred420 And then he tells me that children usually grow to be between there parents hieghts and that it is abnormal to be taller then both your parents (according to this guy i should be between 5-5 and 5-10)

So im thinking wtf is this guy talking about? because if that was true wouldnt we be shrinking over the years? I thought doctors were suppoesed to be smart right?

He's right that "on average" the children are usually in between the height of the parents when you account for the average male height and average female height.. If children were usually taller than their parents, in a few generations everyone would be 7 feet tall.

Over thousands of years we've gotten slightly taller, so that tells us that while the children are usually in between the height of both parents, the average is only slightly more than the midpoint.

Edit- to make it easier to understand, think of it this way- take the average male height and average female height. Now look at your parents' height and see how much they deviate from the norm. Now average out their deviations, and see how much that average deviation compares to the average height for a person of your gender. That should come pretty close to their offspring's height, on average.

Example- Let's say the average male height in the US is 5'9. Let's say the average female height is 5'4. If your dad is 5'9 and your mom is 5'7, then you should be somewhere between average and 3 inches above average.

Remember, statistics are all about averages. This doesn't mean that every guy is 5'9, this just means that for every guy that's 5'10, there's a guy that's 5'8.

Um, That is not necisarily true for averages.
For example the average of 1,1,1,13 is 16/4 = 4. By your logic then, for every 1 (deviation -3) there should be a 7 (deviation +3).


EDIT:
My arthmetic was terrible.