Decades

[Arloest]

I got into an argument with my mother this morning and it made me think.

When do decades start and end? I always considered the decade starting when the fourth digit of the year was '0' - IE, the 80's started in 1980. But then my mom was telling me, no, with the way the centuries and millenniums are lined up, the new decade wouldn't start until 1981. I think this is crap - sure, the millenniums line up so it starts one year later than when all the numbers are reset, but I don't think this should apply to decades. They're just too small to take into consideration on that scale. Plus, I hardly consider 1980 as part of the 70's, or 1990 as part of the 80's, etc.

So what do you think?

[Baconsticks]

2010.

Then again, there was no 0 AD.

[Gecko]

We should've had a 0 AD. I guess we didn't really see this issue coming up later on, now did we?

I voted 2010. For me, the very first decade just happens to have been 9 years. As you say, thinking of 1980 as part of the 70's really doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

[Segovia]

I think that a decade starts on 1 and ends on a 0. Let me put this in perspective. When you count to ten, do you count with 0 first or 1? Of course you start on 1. If you counted with 0 first, you will count 11 numbers instead of 10 which happens to be the definition of a decade. Duh! End of discussion. Of course it isn't but it is for me.

[Dr. Sticks]

Johnathan is correct obviously, but yeah I agree that it SHOULD be the other way, for aesthetic purposes.

[Chris]

I think that a decade starts on 1 and ends on a 0. Let me put this in perspective. When you count to ten, do you count with 0 first or 1? Of course you start on 1. If you counted with 0 first, you will count 11 numbers instead of 10 which happens to be the definition of a decade. Duh! End of discussion. Of course it isn't but it is for me.

This^^

[Segovia]

I think that a decade starts on 1 and ends on a 0. Let me put this in perspective. When you count to ten, do you count with 0 first or 1? Of course you start on 1. If you counted with 0 first, you will count 11 numbers instead of 10 which happens to be the definition of a decade. Duh! End of discussion. Of course it isn't but it is for me.

But then again if you start on 0 and stop on 9 then that would give you 10 and that would be your decade. I guess it depends on what you look at. In theory they 0 and 1 are both correct. For we base our counting system on a repetitive one so in reality you could start your decade on any number and it would still give you 10 years. In theory it doesn't matter which year you start the decade on. It will still be a decade.

[Dr. Sticks]

but we're not talking about a decade as in just any ten consecutive years. it can't be from 1974-1983

[nickspoon]

It would make sense to say that the 1980s are all the four-digit years beginning with the digits '198', and therefore the decade starts at the beginning of 1980 and ends at the end of 1989.

[Gecko]

It would make sense to say that the 1980s are all the four-digit years beginning with the digits '198', and therefore the decade starts at the beginning of 1980 and ends at the end of 1989.

[osprey]

Well, we said the new millenia begun in 2000, and last century began in 1900, etc, so this makes me think it should be 2010. It does make sense that it'd be 2011, but if we're going by the way we currently define centuries, then it should start on 0.

[Steve the Pocket]

A decade called the "somethingties" should refer to the years that have "somethingty" in their name. Simple as that.

But everyone knows the real starts and ends of named decades revolve around major events or cultural shifts. The latter being usually pretty hard to pin down. Given the significant nature of Barack Obama's rise to the Presidency (or more accurately, of Dubya Bush's fall from it), the 2010s might be mere months away.

[Tom Flapwell]

But everyone knows the real starts and ends of named decades revolve around major events or cultural shifts.

True. When we say "the '60s," we tend to mean the late '60s and early '70s.

[Reynardine]

A decade starts with some year and goes for 10 years.

For the purposes of this silly discussion:

It would make sense to say that the 1980s are all the four-digit years beginning with the digits '198', and therefore the decade starts at the beginning of 1980 and ends at the end of 1989.

[Ibun]

You should have slapped her in the face for being so foolish, Angela.