Math question

Fast_Eddie · #1 10-12-2011, 05:25 PM

Hey, sorry, this should be simple but for some reason I'm confused. Can someone tell me what half of on hundred is? And on a related note, would half plus one represent a "majority"? I swear I used to know this stuff but I'm really confused.

simi · #2 10-12-2011, 05:47 PM

Half of 50 is 50%.. and plus 1 makes 51%, a majority.

Fast_Eddie · #3 10-12-2011, 05:59 PM

Thanks, that's what I always thought too. But I've heard several reports on television and radio claiming that a majority of 100 is now 60. That's just weird.

Glad to hear I'm not crazy.

simi · #4 10-12-2011, 06:11 PM

Guess it depends on who owns the ball and field...

d-ray657 · #5 10-12-2011, 06:40 PM

Sorry guys, I have to be a know-it-all prick here. A majority is 50% plus one. If you are talking about a body of 100 - kinda like the US senate - that would be 50 plus 1 - or fifty one.

Now under Senate rules, which have nothing to do with the rules of Physics, or for that matter with the rule against perpetuities, a minority of 40% can decide whether the majority gets to vote on anything. It used to be that if they wanted to prevent a vote, they had to stay up all day and all night debating about the matter at issue, but nowadays that old rule gets in the way of fund raising. They can just say, "lets pretend we are debating," and that will be enough to prevent a vote on legislation favored by a majority of the Senate.

Oh, one more rule, you can prevent the vote, but still claim that the majority was just politicking by trying to pass legislation.

BTW, as long as I am being a know-it-all prick, when will people quit saying that something is "very unique." Aaaargh.

Regards,

D-Ray

simi · #6 10-12-2011, 07:27 PM

True, 26 of 50 isn't 51%,,, it's 52% to be technical... and thanks for that lesson.. cool stuff to know.. :thmbsp:

Fast_Eddie · #7 10-12-2011, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d-ray657

Psst, Eddie. Edit your first post to half of 100 and it might be more effective.

Doh. That's what I get for trying to be clever when I'm this tired. Fixed.

Fast_Eddie · #8 10-12-2011, 07:32 PM

d-ray, you seem to have a good handle on this. Care to tell us when, exactly, 60 became half of 100?

d-ray657 · #9 10-12-2011, 07:34 PM

If you want to see some really funky rules about what are and aren't majorities, you should see how the Supreme Court operates.

Regards,

D-Ray

d-ray657 · #10 10-12-2011, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fast_Eddie

d-ray, you seem to have a good handle on this. Care to tell us when, exactly, 60 became half of 100?

Without going into enough detail where I would actually read up on this stuff again - the 60 vote rule was actually a reform. Long ago - in the 1800s I think, some wise guy realized that there was no senate rule closing debates. In those days senators would literally keep debate going on for weeks, with no way to stop it. In response, reformers came up with the idea for cloture - a vote to close debate. IIRC, cloture initially required a two thirds vote, but was later amended to 60.

The difference is that the procedure was rarely used, because it did require a serious personal commitment on the part of senators to keep the debate going. As I mentioned, that requirement has faded away and the cloture requirement can be used as a gotcha rather than a device to truly extend debate on a serious issue. The Republicans have used it exhaustively the past 3 years, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Dems resort to it if the Repugs gain a majority. Once one side has shown a dirty trick to be effective, it becomes part of the game plan for both sides.

Problem for the Dems, though, is that they don't goose step in unison nearly as well as the other side of the aisle.

Regards,

D-Ray