Number of students

[Scott Northrup]

No: HPFGUIDX 51780


> Yep, it's fun... and I get to practice with my new (university
> approved) calculator. As I said, I prefer Cat's multiple campus theory,
> but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to check the others.
>
> Now, let's do maths: 700 students, about 20 students/group, 35 groups.
> one hours/week of Herbology: 35 hours, 5 hours/day, fits barely - but
> fits.
>
> Potions: you say that there could be as many as 40 students in the
> class, although when Harry is there with Slytherin there are only 20 of
> them. That means 3 groups per year: Slytherin/Gryffindor, Hufflepuff
> and Ravenclaw. 3 groups/year * 4 lectures/week&group * 7 years * 45
> min/lecture = 63 hours. Unfortunately, we should asume that Snape gets
> breaks just as the students do between classes, so that put's the
> number up to 84 hours (just drop the 45 min). That clearly isn't
> working. Let's add the privateStudying!6th&7th years hypothesis back
> in: 3*4*5 = 60 hours/week. 12 hours/day. Hard, but not absolutely
> impossible.
>
> DADA: According to your theory, would those 40 Ravenclaws/Hufflepuffs
> take their DADA in one group or in many? The fact that the Gryffindor
> take them alone might indicate a preference for small groups in a
> series of lessons were attention is most necessary. Let's say they
> divide the big groups in two. That's 6 groups/year * 2 hours/week&group
> * 5 years = 60 hours again (unsuprisingly).
>
> If we leave the groups as one, then we get 4 groups/year, * 2 * 5 = 40
> hours/week. But it does raise the problem of why have just ten
> Gryffindors but then 40 Ravenclaws in DADA.


I'm interested in where you get your numbers.  I can't find any consistent
basis for the number of classes taken by the Gryffindors in a given week.
The only constant I've found is that Herbology ALWAYS seems to be in the
morning, 3 times a week.   Everything else is very inconsistent.  I'm
honestly baffled; it seems like their schedules change on a weekly basis.

However, based on the number of teachers, there is almost no way that all of
these teachers could teach 700 students;  the only explanation is that
certain classes are dropped after 4th or 5th year, which is certainly
possible, but really, god only knows.  Unless the teachers do teach 12+
hours a day, but that also does not seem likely.  As far as I can tell,
there's no evidence to support classes outside of regular hours, 9 PM to 3
PM, with an hour off at lunch.  The only exceptions I've found are Flying
lessons, which I don't really thinks is a class (they started on the second
Tuesday of the first term, at 3:30 for the Gryffindors and Slytherins, which
seems kind of wonky), and Astronomy, which is always in the middle of the
night.

However, I don't see any definite rules for the number of classes per week
per "group."  Well, aside from that 3/week for Herbology.  I wonder if
Herbology gets dropped after 4th year.

That "alternate campus" theory sounds good right about now, as does the
"teachers with time turners" theory (hey, if McGonagall is willing to give
one to a 13 year old, it sounds reasonable that they might have a nice hefty
supply of the damn things).


-Scott