Does 2010 start the new decade?

[minniecarousel]

Or does the new decade start in 2011? It would seem that it would start now, but I dunno. Whatcha think?

 

[lvanleer]

January 1, 2011 because you don't start counting with 0....you start with 1 and there was no zero year....HTH.

 

[Robinrs]

It ENDS it!

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

Everyone I know seems to think we're starting a new decade. We started a new millennium on January 1, 2000 and not on January 1, 2001.

 

[ChristmasElf]

Today starts the new decade.

 

[ukwildcat]

Everyone I know seems to think we're starting a new decade. We started a new millennium on January 1, 2000 and not on January 1, 2001.

January 1, 2000 was the start of the last year of the 2nd millennium. January 1, 2001 was the first day of the 3rd millennium.

To answer the OP, today is the 1st day of the last year of the current decade. January 1, 2011 will be the first year of the new decade.

 

[ashleybea]

Today starts a new decade. Like the 90's the first year of the 90's wansn't January 1st 1991, it was January 1st 1990.

 

[ukwildcat]

Today starts a new decade. Like the 90's the first year of the 90's wansn't January 1st 1991, it was January 1st 1990.

This is technically not true if you are counting decades in groups of 10 starting from year 1.

 

[TheZue]

I know there is no year zero but I still think of this as the start of a new decade. I just like to think that year 1-9 got screwed over and just aren't a full decade. Besides technically a decade is a time period of ten years so you could really start it where ever you wanted.

 

[Squirlz]

It's simple really. Today is the first day of year ten. Ten years are in a decade.

 

[moon]

The way I see it it is like when a child is born. You don't start counting his life after he turns 1. You start counting it from the moment he is born.

I don't know if I'm explaining it well, but the baby exists before he turns one, so why would it be different for the decade?

So I think 2000 was the start of the new millennium, and 2010 is the start of the new decade

 

[Squirlz]

The way I see it it is like when a child is born. You don't start counting his life after he turns 1. You start counting it from the moment he is born.

I don't know if I'm explaining it well, but the baby exists before he turns one, so why would it be different for the decade?

So I think 2000 was the start of the new millennium, and 2010 is the start of the new decade

Actually, you're clarifying MY point above! At the end of the child's first year, he is one year old. At the end of his tenth year he is ten years old and beginning his next decade.

 

[mamacatnv]

I'm so confused

 

[AshleyW]

The way I see it it is like when a child is born. You don't start counting his life after he turns 1. You start counting it from the moment he is born.

I don't know if I'm explaining it well, but the baby exists before he turns one, so why would it be different for the decade?

So I think 2000 was the start of the new millennium, and 2010 is the start of the new decade

The difference, though, is that there was no year 0 while babies DO have a year zero - before they have their 1st birthday. Our calendar goes from 1BC to 1AD - no zero. So the first decade started at year 1AD, and went through 10AD. Second decade started at 11AD and went through 20AD, and so on. So, to be technical, the new decade wouldn't start until Jan 1, 2011.

 

[-Hope-]

This debate has been going on for so long and I think that there just needs to be an acknowledgement that when looking at the calendar technically this is not a new decade. HOWEVER when looking at it as to what is accepted as the social norm it IS a new decade. Mathematically speaking the new decade will begin in 2011 since there was no year zero but as a society we group decades based on the numeral in the tens place- the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc. When we talk about music, clothes, etc. from a decade we are referring to the social norm of that decade not the mathematical definition. So, while technically incorrect it is still correct to refer to this as a new decade from a cultural standpoint.

My real confusion is what do we call the decade with a 0 in the tens place? Or a 1? The aughts and the tens? Doesn't quite have the same ring to it as the 90s now does it?

 

[hulagirl87]

I'm so confused

me too!!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Everyone I know seems to think we're starting a new decade. We started a new millennium on January 1, 2000 and not on January 1, 2001.

No, we didn't. The new millennium started itself on the chronologically correct date - January 1, 2001.

Today starts a new decade. Like the 90's the first year of the 90's wansn't January 1st 1991, it was January 1st 1990.

The first year of the 90's was, indeed, 1990 - but the first year of the final decade of the previous century was 2000. Again, there was no year zero; a decade, by definition, is ten years - so the first decade A.D. ran from January 1, 0001 through December 31, 0010; that century started the same date and ran through December 31, 0099 (a century being 100 years); and the first millennium (1,000 years) from January 1, 0001 through December 31, 1000.

There's no nine year decade, or 99 year century, or 999 year millennium.

My real confusion is what do we call the decade with a 0 in the tens place? Or a 1? The aughts and the tens?

The singles and the teens? I'm positive of the latter, not so much of the former.

 

[Inigo]

Everyone I know seems to think we're starting a new decade. We started a new millennium on January 1, 2000 and not on January 1, 2001.

Nope! The new millennium started on 1/1/2001, and the new decade starts 1/1/2011.