Re: ANCESTRY QUESTION?

Dave Gardner (gardner@alc.com)
Wed, 18 Jan 1995 23:12:21 GMT

In article <3fe9e6$ha6@ns.sunbelt.net> decker@spt.tec.sc.us writes:
>How can we possibly have more ancestors in a coexisting generation than
>the total known population of the earth?
>
>I know for a fact that I have a mother and a father who each has a mother
>and a father, etc... The direct ancestral chart would look like so:
>Generation Population
>1 2 (Mother and father)
>2 4 (grandparents)
>3 8 (greatgrandparents)....
>20 1,048,576
>30 1,073,741,841
>Going backwards it does not take too long to run into a problem.
>
>What am I missing? Please email your response to me. Thanks
>Art Decker
>decker@spt.tec.sc.us

Of course, you could always go the other way, too. :-)

You + Other

produce 2 offspring
who each mate and produce

2 offspring apiece
who each mate and produce
2 offspring apiece
who each mate and produce
2 offspring apiece...

etc.

etc.

etc.

with lifespans increasing due to medical advances, we have a good chance of
seeing our greatgrandchildren and our greatgreatgrandchildren...

Gee, lots of folks in either direction on the ancestry---descendant line, eh?

I'm not sure what I'm missing either...

Dave