# Why are we all the same age today 2018 these things add up to? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 2, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339 "2018-10-02T22:07:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dunmurry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d2c977/32.png) [@Dunmurry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunmurry)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/1 "2018-10-02T22:07:31Z")
Well I just saw on Facebook that apparently if you add your current age and the year you were born together you get 2018 and this happens once every 2000 years or something like that. Search on Google for this if you want. For me it is 34 + 1984 = 2018 and for my mother it is 75 + 1943 = 2018 so is it true that it is very rare however I am not convinced that it is unique and is there a mathematical reason why it happens in fact? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/2 "2018-10-02T22:15:28Z")
Year of birth + Age = Current Year. How is this surprising? ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/3 "2018-10-02T22:16:55Z")
> [@Dunmurry](#): > > Well I just saw on Facebook that apparently if you add your current age and the year you were born together you get 2018 and this happens once every 2000 years or something like that. Search on Google for this if you want. For me it is 34 + 1984 = 2018 and for my mother it is 75 + 1943 = 2018 so is it true that it is very rare however I am not convinced that it is unique and is there a mathematical reason why it happens in fact? So, this is effectively the definition of age. [M-w.com](http://M-w.com): definition 2. the length of an existence extending from the beginning to any given time So it works every year- until you stop getting older. One caveat is that it only works if you’ve had your birthday already this year. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/4 "2018-10-02T22:20:23Z")
Unless I’m misreading what you wrote, your birth year plus your age will always equal the current year. In 1985 you were 1. 1 + 1984 = 1985. In 1985 your mother was 42. 42 + 1943 = 1985. Next year you will be 35. 35 + 1984 = 2019. Next year your mother will be 76. 76 + 1943 = 2019. Obviously 2018 and 2019 don’t happen very often in our western calendar, but that’s irrelevant. I think you’re being taken in by a word trick. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/5 "2018-10-02T22:28:55Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Year of birth + Age = Current Year. > > How is this surprising? What’s funny is it doesn’t work for me because I was born in December. I get 2017. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/6 "2018-10-02T22:37:12Z")
> [@Blakeyrat](#): > > What’s funny is it doesn’t work for me because I was born in December. I get 2017. This is a factoid that is best trotted out late in the year. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/7 "2018-10-02T22:45:14Z")
> [@Blakeyrat](#): > > What’s funny is it doesn’t work for me because I was born in December. I get 2017. Same here. it only works for everyone on one day each year, December 31. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/8 "2018-10-02T22:50:19Z")
> [@Dunmurry](#): > > Well I just saw on Facebook that apparently if you add your current age and the year you were born together you get 2018 and this happens once every 2000 years or something like that. Search on Google for this if you want. For me it is 34 + 1984 = 2018 and for my mother it is 75 + 1943 = 2018 so is it true that it is very rare however I am not convinced that it is unique and is there a mathematical reason why it happens in fact? It is, in fact, vert rare - the result of your calculation will be 2018 until midnight, December 2018, and after that, _will never occur again in human history._ (Unless, at some point, we start counting the years again from 0 or 1. Then it _will_ happen again, but only after something like 2017-2018 years). ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/9 "2018-10-02T23:25:00Z")
How often do they award the Nobel prize in mathematics?😃 ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/10 "2018-10-02T23:33:49Z")
> [@BobBitchin](#): > > How often do they award the Nobel prize in mathematics?😃 As often as this observation merits it. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/11 "2018-10-03T00:08:47Z")
> [@BobBitchin](#): > > How often do they award the Nobel prize in mathematics?😃 Never, since there isn’t one. The closest equivalent is the Fields Medal; it is given only every 4 years. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/12 "2018-10-03T01:13:29Z")
I mentioned before an old lady who used to be sweet who now tweets hateful Trump memes. I saw her tweet this, and I felt too sorry for her to unfriend her or talk to her about her tweets and just unfollowed her. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/13 "2018-10-03T04:02:08Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > Never, since there isn’t one. > > The closest equivalent is the Fields Medal; it is given only every 4 years. But they give them out four at a time. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/14 "2018-10-03T04:37:51Z")
Japan uses a a different starting point for years, based on the reigning emperor. It’s now Heisei 30. So it only works for the young. Ageists! ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/15 "2018-10-03T04:42:50Z")
> [@Dunmurry](#): > > Well I just saw on Facebook Are you sure it wasn’t posted on April 1st? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/16 "2018-10-03T10:41:12Z")
I propose the term **Dunmurry’s Paradox**. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/17 "2018-10-03T11:29:29Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I think you’re being taken in by a word trick. It’s a bit like saying that 40% of sick days are taken on either a Monday or a Friday. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/18 "2018-10-03T12:47:07Z")
Or the politicians bemoaning the fact that 50% of schools are performing below average. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/19 "2018-10-03T13:08:49Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I mentioned before an old lady who used to be sweet who now tweets hateful Trump memes. I saw her tweet this, and I felt too sorry for her to unfriend her or talk to her about her tweets and just unfollowed her. What year was she born? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339/20 "2018-10-03T13:16:20Z")
Did you know March 2018 has 5 Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays - this only happens once ever 823 years - just like when it happened in December 2017! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-all-the-same-age-today-2018-these-things-add-up-to/822339.md?page=2)