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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 April 2016
We have developed a test for the evolutionary state of W Ursae Majoris binaries by comparing the observed spectral type of 31 of these systems (14 of type W and 17 of type A) with the expected one when their primary component is an unevolved main sequence star. It appears that both the W- and A-type systems have a primary with a mass and radius too large to be compatible with the observed spectral type,so there is no indication that each type should mark a different evolutionary stage.