Maturing Wizards (Was: Re:Voldemort's Age)

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 170254

--- "Zara" <zgirnius at ...> wrote:
>
> > bboyminn:
> > After many hours of discussion here and in other 
> > groups this it the formula we came up with to 
> > compare Chronological Age (Ca) to the equivalent
> > Functional Age (Fa).
> > 
> > Fa = ((Ca - 18) / 2) + 18
> 
> <snip>
> 
> > So, McGonagall at age 70 is functionally about age
> > 44.
> 
> zgirnius:
> I think your formula is too aggressive. In OotP people
> express concerns over Minerva's heart in connection 
> with being hit by Stunners, 'at her age'. 44 is not an
> age at which I expect a (Muggle) female whose weight 
> is in the 'normal' range and who has no known family
> history, to have reason for concern regarding a weak 
> heart.
>

bboyminn:

First, I concede the 'at her age' part, but I don't
specifically recall anything having to do with her
(McGonagall's) heart. Regardless of Functional Age,
Minerva is still chronologically 70.

This brings us to the heart of the discussion. Is
McGonagall 44 or is she /like/ age 44. Does the aging
process slow making her actually in every way the
equivalent of age 44, or does she simply have the
vitality and vigor of someone in their 40's? 

I think McGonagall is a bad example because she is
not at an extreme enough age to see the contrast.
Dumbledore on the other hand at age +150 is a better
example. Even when he is weak, he has substantial 
strength. He has vim and vigor eons ahead of anyone
over age 100. Harry is surprised at how strongly
Dumbledore swims up to the entrance to the cave.
He is certainly functioning at a much younger age
than his years imply, but how young?

Further, given that Dumbledore, based on appearances,
is not the oldest person in the books, how long does 
that imply wizards live? Certainly, over 200 is just
as possible as over 100 is in our world. 

On the assumption that a normal person can theoretically
live 125 years; that is, that is the maximum possible
lifespan for a muggle in a perfect world, I conclude 
that the theoretical max lifespan for a wizard is in 
the range of 225 to a possible but unlikely 250. 

Now, we need to create a formula that reflects that 
likelihood. Originally I simply said multiply or 
divide by two to get the answer. But someone pointed
out that the first 18 years seem to be neutral. 
Wizard and muggle kids seem to develop at the same
and normal rate. They suggested subtracting 18 then
dividing by two, then adding the 18 back in.

This does produce a close equivalent to how someone
is functioning. What age group does Dumbledore 
function like? My calculations indicate that 
Dumbledore functions like a healthy active 84
year old. Keep in mind the amount of exercise
Dumbledore gets. He is constantly walking up and
down 7 flights of very long stairs. Plus walking
up and down the long sloping grounds of Hogwarts.
Plus living and associating with a very young 
group of people. That is enough to keep anyone fit
and active.

Maybe some conversion factor needs to be added to
the equation. Maybe instead of dividing by 2, we
need to divide by 1.8 (225/125=1.8). Maybe some 
non-linear function needs to be added. But not 
being well versed in calculus, this is the best 
I can do.

Fa = ((Ca - 18) / 1.8) + 18
Fa = ((70 - 18) / 1.8) + 18
Fa = 47

Just a thought.

Steve/bboyblue