Mixed Up

[darkerhorse]

A German man marries a Danish woman. Their son marries a Norwegian woman. Their son marries a woman half German and half Norwegian. Their son marries a Norwegian woman. What are the ethnic percentages of their son and is the surname still German?

[PippoM]

I'm not an expert on that, but, from a mathematical point of view, the weight of each generation halves at each step. Also, let's suppose that the women you mention are "fully" Danish, or Norwegian (that might not be true, as there's a lot of mix there, too.).
The last Norwegian woman weighs 50%
The half German and half Norwegian weighs 12,5% each
The first Norwegian weighs 12,5%
The German and the Danish weigh 6,25%
So, the son of the last couple should be:

75% Norwegian
18,75% German
6,25% Danish

As for the surname, who knows? It should be German, according to customs...

[darkerhorse]

Thanks. I take a try at the math.