how can someone be decimal? or a half of a number?
2007-12-20 09:51:53 · 10 answers · asked by Sunshyne 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
It is never someone having 2.4 kids. Its a statistical average over a population that is very useful for decision making. It does not mean to say that a particular person has 2.4 kids.
For example, if the number of kids in 6 families are 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9, the average number of kids in the six families is 4.5. While 4.5 is a representative number useful for decision making, it does not mean that any of the families actually has 4.5 kids.
2007-12-20 09:59:45 · answer #1 · answered by Prof. Em 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a cute way of saying they are an "average family." The average number of kids in a family is indeed 2.4. It's because it's an average. If one family has 3 kids and one family has 2 kids they have an average of (3+2)/2 or 2.5 kids.
2007-12-20 09:56:36 · answer #2 · answered by Judge and Jury 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is the size of the hypothetical average family. Families used to average that number of children, but the average number of children per family has fallen in recent years.
What they are really saying is that they have an average family life, with all the usual issues and problems.
The link below shows the average number of children per family in 2004. It does not give an average for the whole USA, but the individual states range from 1.71 in West Virgina to 2.21 in Utah. Just eyeballing the data shows that the average for the country might be around 1.9.
2007-12-20 09:56:53 · answer #3 · answered by NH Guy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
2.4 Children
2016-10-06 05:32:17 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That number usually refers to an average. For example, if one family has 8 children and another family has 5 children, the average would be 6.5 children.
2007-12-20 09:56:59 · answer #5 · answered by crankylibrarian 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's an average. Some people have 2, some have 3,..etc.
2007-12-20 09:55:31 · answer #6 · answered by stealthpaw 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are just saying they are an "average" family. Or it might mean she is pregnant a few months, but probably the 'average' thing.
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2007-12-20 09:56:29 · answer #7 · answered by tlbs101 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
2 children and a wife 4 months pregnant
2007-12-20 10:00:49 · answer #8 · answered by Don 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
you can't really have 2.4 kids so i think its an average
2007-12-20 10:56:16 · answer #9 · answered by zanessa<3 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe they meant a step-child or if someone is pregnant
2007-12-20 09:55:03 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋