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Created page with 'File:lighterstill.jpg *Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Century 1552] ==Definitions== *1 obsolete : the quality or state of being greater *2 a : the age at ...'
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]]
*Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Century 1552]
==Definitions==
*1 obsolete : the [[quality]] or [[state]] of being greater
*2 a : the age at which full civil rights are accorded
:b : the [[status]] of one who has attained this age
*3 a : a [[number]] or percentage equaling more than half of a [[total]] <a majority of voters> <a two-thirds majority>
:b : the excess of a majority over the remainder of the total : margin <won by a majority of 10 votes>
:c : the greater [[quantity]] or share <the majority of the time>
*4 : the [[group]] or political party having the greater number of votes (as in a legislature)
*5 : the military office, rank, or commission of a major
==Description==
A '''majority''', also known as a simple majority in the U.S., is a subset of a [[group]] consisting of more than half of the group. This should not be confused with a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plurality_(voting) plurality], which is a subset having the largest [[number]] of [[parts]]. A plurality is not [[necessarily]] a majority, as the largest subset may be less than half of the entire [[group]]. In British English, majority and plurality are often used as synonyms; it can also refer to the margin of vote separating the first-place finisher from the second-place finisher, so that a candidate who wins by 1000 votes may be said to have received "a majority of 1000 votes". The term "overall majority" is used in British [[English]] to refer to the [[difference]] between the number of votes received by the winner and the combined votes cast for all other candidates. The term "absolute majority" is used to indicate more than fifty percent of the vote.
For example, in a hypothetical group of 40 athletes there are:
* 15 association football players
* 10 sprinters
* 9 marathon runners
* 6 table tennis players
In this [[group]], a majority would consist of more than half the total [[number]] of [[athletes]], or 21 athletes. The group of all ball sport players together (15 football players + 6 table tennis players = 21) comprise a majority. However, football players, 15 in number, comprise a plurality, not a majority. In British English usage, football players would be described as having a majority of 5 (15 - 10) over sprinters, no [[individual]] sport has an absolute majority or an overall majority, and ball players have an overall majority of 2 (21 - 19) over the other sports.
[[Category: Political Science]]
[[Category: General Reference]]
*Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Century 1552]
==Definitions==
*1 obsolete : the [[quality]] or [[state]] of being greater
*2 a : the age at which full civil rights are accorded
:b : the [[status]] of one who has attained this age
*3 a : a [[number]] or percentage equaling more than half of a [[total]] <a majority of voters> <a two-thirds majority>
:b : the excess of a majority over the remainder of the total : margin <won by a majority of 10 votes>
:c : the greater [[quantity]] or share <the majority of the time>
*4 : the [[group]] or political party having the greater number of votes (as in a legislature)
*5 : the military office, rank, or commission of a major
==Description==
A '''majority''', also known as a simple majority in the U.S., is a subset of a [[group]] consisting of more than half of the group. This should not be confused with a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plurality_(voting) plurality], which is a subset having the largest [[number]] of [[parts]]. A plurality is not [[necessarily]] a majority, as the largest subset may be less than half of the entire [[group]]. In British English, majority and plurality are often used as synonyms; it can also refer to the margin of vote separating the first-place finisher from the second-place finisher, so that a candidate who wins by 1000 votes may be said to have received "a majority of 1000 votes". The term "overall majority" is used in British [[English]] to refer to the [[difference]] between the number of votes received by the winner and the combined votes cast for all other candidates. The term "absolute majority" is used to indicate more than fifty percent of the vote.
For example, in a hypothetical group of 40 athletes there are:
* 15 association football players
* 10 sprinters
* 9 marathon runners
* 6 table tennis players
In this [[group]], a majority would consist of more than half the total [[number]] of [[athletes]], or 21 athletes. The group of all ball sport players together (15 football players + 6 table tennis players = 21) comprise a majority. However, football players, 15 in number, comprise a plurality, not a majority. In British English usage, football players would be described as having a majority of 5 (15 - 10) over sprinters, no [[individual]] sport has an absolute majority or an overall majority, and ball players have an overall majority of 2 (21 - 19) over the other sports.
[[Category: Political Science]]
[[Category: General Reference]]