Comment on Can also ask your mom

• victorz@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  I mean, if we’re narrowing it down to the week, I’m assuming the aim is to find out to which song your parents fucked you into existence. What was the vibe.

  So the best bet is to count 40 weeks as that is more accurate than “9 months”. That’s all I’m saying. 😉👍

  source

  • hansolo@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    We’re rounding to make counting backwards easy so more people can easily participate.

    source

    • victorz@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      This can’t be so difficult to do with weeks if you really want to be accurate. But if you don’t want to be accurate, of course there’s that option too. I’m only spreading awareness. 👍 I’m not trying to die on this hill or anything…

      source

      • hansolo@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        It’s about ease of use.

        I can count on fingers how many months. Tales 10 seconds.

        Count 40 weeks back from your birthday with no help in 10 seconds or less.

        source

        • -> View More Comments
• mig@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  40 weeks is 10 months.

  source

  • hansolo@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Then why do we say a pregnancy lasts 9 months?

    I’m really asking. You’re right, it’s closer to 10.

    source

    • mig@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Whoa I didn’t know the answer, I’m dead wrong. Months are 30 days so months average 4.3 weeks. So 40 weeks IS closer to 9 than 10 months. Mind blown.

      source

      • hansolo@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Works both ways, too. 52 weeks - 40 weeks is 12 weeks. Which is about 3 months, plus 1 day since 52*7=364. So close, even without the rounding. I imagine that since the 9 months take up a greater proportion of the slight rounding, where 280 days is 9.333 30-day months, then the remaining 12 weeks would be slightly under, at 2.667 30-day months.

        I think then we can also just reason that 9 months is a colloquialism that’s close enough on average to have remained worth using. Especially when a date of conception often isn’t really known. Babies don’t have some turkey timer that pops up exactly at 40 weeks. Plenty of kids are born “early” or “late” based on a guess of a date most times.

        source