This subject matter does not have a reliable source for either side of the argument. The definition is based solely in opinion and not fact. It uses an arbitrarily defined starting point of one instead of zero. The current NY times source cited is not a reliable because it is not an authority on this subject and offers no compelling argument as to why the century began in 1901. The source I cited gives a compelling reason as to when the centuries began and ended. The only way to define this is by using a starting point with a majority agreed upon convention. Most people today define chronological starting points with a zero and not a one. What age do you define yourself as? I bet your answer is based on your first year being zero and not one. So if you were born on Jan 1st, 1960, as of October 2013, you would be 53 years old, not 54 years old. You would be in your 54th year alive, not 55th. Please do not be arrogant and tell me what is and what isn't without offering even the slightest argument to back up your statement.
Jones5150 (
talk)
15:21, 10 October 2013 (UTC)reply
There is no year 0 A.D. (or C.E.), so the first century is counted as 1 A.D. to 100 A.D.; the 20th from January 1, 1901 A.D. to December 31, 2000 A.D. This is the standard, conventional definition. See for example
The Mathematics of the Calendar by Marc Cohn. As for your age example, first of all, that is arguing by analogy (
original research); secondly, if you talk about ordinals, your "first year" indeed starts when you're born and ends one year later. No one calls that the "zeroth year of life". --
Macrakis (
talk)
15:42, 12 October 2013 (UTC)reply
Hi Jones5150! Thanks for contributing to Wikipedia. Be our guest at
the Teahouse! The Teahouse is a friendly space where new editors can ask questions about contributing to Wikipedia and get help from peers and experienced editors. I hope to see you there!
Technical 13 (
I'm a Teahouse host)
This subject matter does not have a reliable source for either side of the argument. The definition is based solely in opinion and not fact. It uses an arbitrarily defined starting point of one instead of zero. The current NY times source cited is not a reliable because it is not an authority on this subject and offers no compelling argument as to why the century began in 1901. The source I cited gives a compelling reason as to when the centuries began and ended. The only way to define this is by using a starting point with a majority agreed upon convention. Most people today define chronological starting points with a zero and not a one. What age do you define yourself as? I bet your answer is based on your first year being zero and not one. So if you were born on Jan 1st, 1960, as of October 2013, you would be 53 years old, not 54 years old. You would be in your 54th year alive, not 55th. Please do not be arrogant and tell me what is and what isn't without offering even the slightest argument to back up your statement.
Jones5150 (
talk)
15:21, 10 October 2013 (UTC)reply
There is no year 0 A.D. (or C.E.), so the first century is counted as 1 A.D. to 100 A.D.; the 20th from January 1, 1901 A.D. to December 31, 2000 A.D. This is the standard, conventional definition. See for example
The Mathematics of the Calendar by Marc Cohn. As for your age example, first of all, that is arguing by analogy (
original research); secondly, if you talk about ordinals, your "first year" indeed starts when you're born and ends one year later. No one calls that the "zeroth year of life". --
Macrakis (
talk)
15:42, 12 October 2013 (UTC)reply
Hi Jones5150! Thanks for contributing to Wikipedia. Be our guest at
the Teahouse! The Teahouse is a friendly space where new editors can ask questions about contributing to Wikipedia and get help from peers and experienced editors. I hope to see you there!
Technical 13 (
I'm a Teahouse host)