HELP!!! I am confused!?

Question

For example, if someone says they are 1/16th Irish, what would be 45% be? And what would 40% be?

Answer 1

I personally have no clue how anyone arrives at that.  

You are always always always...

1/2 of  2 parents... assume for a moment that they are "full" something, which is not the case.

1/4th  of grandparents... you always have 4 of those, no options.

1/8th  of gr grandparents.. those 4 grandparents came from 2 parents each.

1/16th of the next generation.  1/6th is biologically a valid number, meaning one person out of 16 is something.

ANY ANY ANY portions will be of those fractions, or some variation of those.  Yes.. of the 16 gr gr grandparents.. you might have 7 of those from (example) Germany,  or 3 of them from Italy.  None of those fractions will 'break' down further, although you can use the calculator to convert to percentage format.  I do not know how anyone arrives at 40%, since that number is inconsistent with biological facts.   Personally, I don't even try.. it does not mean much.

edit.. we all know how to add/subtract percentages.. if you deal with a pie that can be cut into 10 or 100 pieces. Persons having ancestors in parts of "2" don't work like pies.

Answer 2

Simple, if someone is 45% Irish it just means he/she is 55% non Irish and if they are 40% they were 60% non Irish.

Answer 3

That type of thing is foolish.  As you go back percentages or fractions will change.

For instance if you had a great great great grandparent from Germany, he might have had a great great great grandparent from Poland or France.  Until the last melennium most nations didn't exist.  All of our ancestors were nomads at one time.  There is no nationality, race or ethnicity that is pure.

Answer 4

45% is impossible. You can come close to it, though.

1/2 = 50% = 1 parent

1/4 = 25% = 1 grandparent

1/8 = 12.5% = 1 great grandparent

1/16 = 6.25% = 1 gg grandparent

1/32 = 3.125% = 1 ggg grandparent

if you had 14 Irish ggg gp's, you'd be 43.75% Irish. If you had 15 (out of a possible 32), you'd be 46.875% Irish.

If you know how to use Excel you can play with the possibiliries. Most of us use binary fractions, though; 1/2, 1/4. 3/128ths and so on.

Answer 5

You have two biological parents, four biological grandparents, 8 biological great grandparents, 16 great-great grandparents, etc, etc.

If, for instance One of your Great Great Grandparents was 100% Irish and NONE of the rest of your Great Great Grandparnts had ANY Irish ancestry at all, then you would be 1/16th Irish.