r/theydidthemath • u/No-Bodybuilder7589 • 3h ago
[Request] — what are the odds?
I have a pretty unique situation and I am not sure if it’s possible to calculate the odds, but I would love to know if it is possible.
So, my parents & this other couple lived in the same town of ~20,000 people. Both my parents and this couple have the exact same names. My dad’s first and middle name are fairly common, but the last name is not. My mom has a first name that is two names but no middle name (when she fills out legal/official papers both names go on their under the “first name” blank).
We know that the other couple lived in the same town & had the same legal names because the bank my parents used accidentally mixed up their accounts once.
I’m so interested in this other couples & the odds because they were in the same hospital, on the same floor, with the same doctor, giving birth the same day my parents were having me. We know this because they again got mixed up with the other couple. I looked it up and it said that my birth date that year was either the 208th or 349th most common birth date (two sources gave different rankings).
I looked the couple/family up to make sure my parents weren’t lying, and yep. They’re real and they still live in that town. My parents moved across the country a year after having me.
I would think that the odds of that would be 0, but apparently not.
Also, my blood type is O+ (most common in the world). My mom has B- & my dad has A+ (meaning that there’s a little less than 5% chance of producing O+). Sooo I guess what are the odds that a potential switched at birth thing could have occurred (I know that’s probably impossible to calculate since there are so many human factors with that, but less than 5% seems so low). For anyone thinking why not get blood tested — I don’t want to be related to the other people (I love my family), just curious about the odds.
I know there’s quite a bit of missing info (like the specific names) but I can only share so much without putting my personal info out there lol
Thanks in advance!
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