Search found 13318 matches
- Fri Feb 15, 2008 11:14 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
If your program doesn't model the situation correctly then it will converge to something that has no relevance to the problem. If the program is made as I described it, then it is exactly as I intended the problem to be. If there is any disagreement about whether the program as I described it model...
- Fri Feb 15, 2008 10:11 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
You will if you make the same incorrect assumption about uniformity you've been making all along. David is correct. What incorrect assumption about uniformity? Try it then. Edit - also if you look at it from this perspective - i.e. do it as this computer program, you can forget about all accusation...
- Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:54 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Can you swim?
- Replies: 59
- Views: 20788
Re: Can you swim?
What's CP?
- Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:53 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
The point of my quoting "What would your answer be if all nine were taller than him" was that my next line was in fact answering that question, ie. 9/9 on the available evidence. I wasn't answering the original question with 9/9. OK then. The big problem in your solution is that you are b...
- Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:43 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
You know what I mean!Corby wrote:1/11?Gevin-Gavin wrote:And then we ask, what is the probability of them being the 2nd tallest? Obviously 2/11.
- Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:48 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Historical recaps
- Topic: [2003 March 20] Thursday - one of Julian Fell's favourites
- Replies: 5
- Views: 2257
Re: [2003 March 20] Thursday - one of Julian Fell's favourites
Thanks for drawing attention to this game Charlie, you are a legend, as is Beth Sutton. May I also draw attention to the fact that she had five words disallowed in this game and still won, which must surely be a unique achievement. I may put this on the Wiki some day! But doesn't this show that it ...
- Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:42 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
I'll just say to anyone who thinks it's 5/9 . . . What would your answer be if all nine were taller than him, or when he'd only met one person? David I would say that his best estimate based on the available data would be that there is a 9/9 chance the next person is taller than him. With, of cours...
- Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:43 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: My favourite cheese...
- Replies: 44
- Views: 5711
Re: My favourite cheese...
Really? And what does Gromit have to say on the matter?Michael Wallace wrote:I quite like cheese, but can't really stand things that smell cheesy (yes, I'm an odd sort, don't even get me started on cheese *flavoured* things...)
- Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:37 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Spinning Around
- Replies: 33
- Views: 11719
Re: Spinning Around
And the tail of it would be its tail (unlike the way I described the Earth's axis). But then if you named it "it"...M. George Quinn wrote:No, but it's an it.
- Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:36 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Can you swim?
- Replies: 59
- Views: 20788
Re: Can you swim?
Most people would probably drown if they went swimming while having a stroke.jimbentley wrote:I'd probably drop dead mid-stroke if I tried it now.
- Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:35 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
Shouldn't they then?Paul Howe wrote:Oh right, sorry for the misunderstanding. I still don't think what you've written is completely right though, as for one thing it implies the probabilities will converge to a multiple of 1/11.
- Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:33 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Average Primes
- Replies: 12
- Views: 3854
Re: Average Primes
But what is the answer?Joseph Bolas wrote:Howard has explained how to work it out step by step, but I think because theres quite a bit of bruce force required to solve this, most have decided not too. I think it was harder than I implied .
- Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:26 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Paranormal
- Replies: 29
- Views: 4353
Re: Paranormal
Did anyone watch Horizon this evening? They had this chap on it who reckons that there is evidence of "precognition". His name was Dean Radin, which immediately made me suspicious that it was a joke as it is an anagram of Randi (as in James Randi). Then they had these fighter pilots on, on...
- Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:55 pm
- Forum: Off-topic
- Topic: Paranormal
- Replies: 29
- Views: 4353
Re: Paranormal
I was invited to a ghost weekend or something for someone's 30th birthday once but it cost too much money - presumably to do with the magic ghost-detecting equipment.
- Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:54 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Spinning Around
- Replies: 33
- Views: 11719
Re: Spinning Around
Only if it is tail. Is it?M. George Quinn wrote:"It's"
That one confuses me. If your cat is neutered can you say "it's tail"?
- Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:52 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Spinning Around
- Replies: 33
- Views: 11719
Re: Spinning Around
If there Earth didn't rotate at all around it's axis then I just had to quote Gevin-Gavin and correct him - you mean "its" not "it's" don't you! And why "there" and not "the"? :) "there" instead of "the" is less embarrassing than the other...
- Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:50 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Average Primes
- Replies: 12
- Views: 3854
Re: Average Primes
Did we get an answer to this?
- Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:47 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Standard of contestants
- Replies: 8
- Views: 2976
Re: Standard of contestants
Yes, there are definitely more top players around now than in the past. But having said that, there's still only relatively few players that I'd back to beat Harvey Freeman at his peak.
- Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:41 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: 800 club
- Replies: 19
- Views: 5744
Re: 800 club
2. The top contestants nowadays are just better. Maybe better prepared, but definitely better. 3. The average contestants, I believe, are worse. I was thinking about this, and the average contestants getting worse could be down to having Countdown on all year. I don't know if the same numbers apply...
- Mon Feb 11, 2008 10:28 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: 800 club
- Replies: 19
- Views: 5744
Re: 800 club
Yeah, yeah, just because it would elevate you.David Williams wrote:I agree that a score of 100 is the equivalent of 60 in the old days. They are mathematically pretty much equivalent, they are both nice round numbers, and you need to score consistently to reach them.
- Mon Feb 11, 2008 10:26 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Two points about number games
- Replies: 15
- Views: 3914
Re: Two points about number games
No! Never!Craig Beevers wrote:But I'm sure there are more important things to worry about.
- Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:20 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Two points about number games
- Replies: 15
- Views: 3914
Re: Two points about number games
The letters and numbers are visible on a small monitor embedded into the set, so it isn't vital to write them down. I must admit that I've often solved the easiest games before the 30 seconds have started. But with harder games it can help to wrote them down. Oh are you just talking about for conte...
- Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:31 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Two points about number games
- Replies: 15
- Views: 3914
Two points about number games
1. Has anyone else noticed that at some point in the past (I can't remember when) the normally unobscured numbers started becoming obscured by Carol's head when she puts the rest of them up? How and why did this happen? I'm sure it never used to happen, so something must have changed. 2. Does anyone...
- Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:25 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: 800 club
- Replies: 19
- Views: 5744
Re: 800 club
Only just noticed this. I agree that a score of 100 is the equivalent of 60 in the old days. They are mathematically pretty much equivalent, they are both nice round numbers, and you need to score consistently to reach them. So why are there so many more 800s than 480s? 1. Luck. You can get away wi...
- Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:18 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Mass noun plurals confusion
- Replies: 32
- Views: 5875
Re: Mass noun plurals confusion
Mike (who eagerly awaits the return of the comparatives of polysyllabic adjectives debate!). Is this not a more clear-cut matter? Only allowable when listed, right? Of course then you have words like FRAIL and REAL that everyone considers to be one syllable, but when you really think about it, are ...
- Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:13 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Mass noun plurals confusion
- Replies: 32
- Views: 5875
Re: Mass noun plurals confusion
There can only be a limited number of these mass nouns, so surely it would even be possible for the Countdown team to give a definitive list of pluralisable ones. Failing that, either allow or disallow them all, with a possible exception for the ones that would have irregular plurals. Either disallo...
- Thu Feb 07, 2008 11:05 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Mass noun plurals confusion
- Replies: 32
- Views: 5875
Re: Mass noun plurals confusion
Gevin-style rant indeed. Just stae your case, and let others react to it how they like.Julian wrote:I don't want this to turn into a Gevin-style rant
- Thu Feb 07, 2008 11:04 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Historical recaps
- Topic: [20030313] Recap for Thursday 13th March 2003
- Replies: 12
- Views: 3961
Re: [20030313] Recap for Thursday 13th March 2003
So yes I think exceptional female contestants are going to be even rarer now than they were before, sadly... there was one lady in the 9-round era who got an octochamp total of 500+, Lucy Roberts - 500 points then being roughly equivalent to 900 points now 504 was a pretty good total, but nothing l...
- Thu Feb 07, 2008 11:01 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Historical recaps
- Topic: [20030313] Recap for Thursday 13th March 2003
- Replies: 12
- Views: 3961
Re: [20030313] Recap for Thursday 13th March 2003
Natascha Kearsey is is the only female CofC winner, and while all her scores were pretty average, she did seem to up her game when she beat Scott Mearns. Also first game loser Linda Dawe racked up an impressive 126 against Melanie Beaumont in a special. I wonder if she would have carried that on giv...
Re: Lunar Landings Clearly Faked
This is a brilliant read. Keep it going.
- Thu Feb 07, 2008 10:53 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Spinning Around
- Replies: 33
- Views: 11719
Re: Spinning Around
Yes, that about sums it up, although methinks you may have seen this before ;) Well, it's one of the many things that have interested me ever since I came across a young Patrick Moore, some years before he started his Sky at Night TV prog. He's been doing that for 50 years! When was this?! Presumab...
- Thu Feb 07, 2008 9:57 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Spinning Around
- Replies: 33
- Views: 11719
Re: Spinning Around
OK, well according to Craig's logic the answer is probably 366. But I still wouldn't count the Earth's orbit around the Sun as an extra rotation. Pedantically speaking, yes, but surely it has no actual relation to reality. Also, the question asked, 'How many times does the Earth rotate around its o...
- Wed Feb 06, 2008 10:12 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: 800 club
- Replies: 19
- Views: 5744
Re: 800 club
So it might be worth while if anyone (Mike Brown) has access to round scores in old games, to have a look at the average player ratio from one format to the other, and then one big assumption later, compare the top players that way. This would be a waste of time actually. Just look at average score...
- Wed Feb 06, 2008 9:05 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: 800 club
- Replies: 19
- Views: 5744
Re: 800 club
I sense quite a long Gevin post is on the cards... Yeah, why not? A few of us did work out a round by round conversion for some players - 6:11 on the letters, 2:3 on the numbers and 1:1 on the conundrum, and while the overall ration for each player was different each time, it seemed to work out at ...
- Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:13 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: If Countdowners were sports stars...
- Replies: 31
- Views: 5148
Re: If Countdowners were sports stars...
I would say that Allan Saldanha is a bit like Jimmy White. Brilliant player, he featured a lot, getting into finals, but never got that ultimate prize.
- Tue Feb 05, 2008 11:11 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Favourite discipline
- Replies: 33
- Views: 8494
Re: Favourite discipline
I'm not sure how true this is. Mostly the numbers is about applying the same techniques over and over. Once you get those pinned down it's all down to being mentally quick enough to explore several possibilities in the thirty seconds and to a certain extent being lucky enough to try the right appro...
- Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:53 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Spoilers
- Topic: Spoilers for Friday 25th January 2008
- Replies: 30
- Views: 6295
Re: Spoilers for Friday 25th January 2008
This wasn't really in evidence in my own CofC, where I thought everybody played at pretty much the same level as they had before... since then there's been a spate of contestants who've been motivated and dedicated enough to do loads of practice following their initial run, and managed to raise the...
- Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:49 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Ratio of letters to numbers
- Replies: 20
- Views: 9309
Re: How would Susie fare as a contestant?
But at the very top level - CofC, or finals week of a strong series - you definitely need that numbers ability as well, so it's still an important part of the game Gevin, not a "novelty" at all. Also remember the number of 15-round-era contestants for whom the numbers were the main part o...
- Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:12 am
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Ratio of letters to numbers
- Replies: 20
- Views: 9309
Re: How would Susie fare as a contestant?
Letters is certainly a more important part of the game than numbers but I wouldn't go as far as to call it a novelty, I've seen plenty of contestants who are above average in the letters game but end up losing because they lost 20, 30 points on the numbers. But it can only happen in some games. No-...
- Sun Feb 03, 2008 11:59 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Ratio of letters to numbers
- Replies: 20
- Views: 9309
Re: How would Susie fare as a contestant?
I think it's fair to say that most contestants and, more importantly, most people playing along at home prefer the letters rounds, so anything which decreased them would be fairly unpopular. I might be wrong about that. Let's have a poll. Maybe but reducing from 11 to 10 isn't much, whereas numbers...
- Sun Feb 03, 2008 11:29 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Historical recaps
- Topic: Recap for 24 January 2003 - C of C XI Grand Final
- Replies: 38
- Views: 6833
Re: Recap for 24 January 2003 - C of C XI Grand Final
I don't know why people are knocking Conor. I don't think they have been really. To be honest though I think a lot hinges on one or two games. Had Conor taken the crucial conundrum against Paul Gallen and gone on to win the tournament, I think he would probably win a greatest poll. Mark Tournoff is...
- Sun Feb 03, 2008 11:24 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Historical recaps
- Topic: Recap for 24 January 2003 - C of C XI Grand Final
- Replies: 38
- Views: 6833
Re: Recap for 24 January 2003 - C of C XI Grand Final
Gevin - nice to see you posting and yourself too Julian. What you doing these days?? Hello Tom! You probably did notice that I included you as one of the best non-champions. Maybe it would be interesting to see a mini tournament! Regarding Chris and Conor - it's interesting how heavily Conor beat C...
- Sun Feb 03, 2008 11:16 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Ratio of letters to numbers
- Replies: 20
- Views: 9309
Ratio of letters to numbers
I think Jono's octochamp run proves that if you can nail your opponent on the numbers then you can afford to make shit up in about half of the letters rounds and still win comfortably. But joking aside, if you are the champion you only choose once, and it's very likely that the other two games will...
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 10:18 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Historical recaps
- Topic: Recap for 24 January 2003 - C of C XI Grand Final
- Replies: 38
- Views: 6833
Re: Recap for 24 January 2003 - C of C XI Grand Final
I used it because Soo has got all the percentage of maximum scores for Ocotchamps on his website. Although I see no reason why it is a particularly bad statisitc to use, as opposed to just an averagely bad one (in that they're all bad). Care to explain? Well, player A gets the maximum in every lett...
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 9:46 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
Basically, the point being that if an infinite number of random Johns performed the same task, picking the comparison people at random, 6/11 of them (of the ones that were 5-4 up) would find that they were taller than the next person. Or if it doesn't make sense to talk about infinite, the proporti...
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:29 pm
- Forum: Countdown - Historical recaps
- Topic: Recap for 24 January 2003 - C of C XI Grand Final
- Replies: 38
- Views: 6833
Re: Recap for 24 January 2003 - C of C XI Grand Final
Charlie - re another Supreme Championship - Damian has firmly knocked that idea on the head, he said there definitely won't be another one on his watch. Though I bitterly argued with him at the time, I've come to realize that he was right - if there were another one, the vast majority of the contes...
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 8:14 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
I feel compelled to point out that 6/11 is merely a decent guess at the probability, and not the actual probability, which we couldn't possibly know from the information given. I'm not particularly bothered, just wanted to pick holes in someone else's puzzle. And because it would effect the answer ...
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 7:15 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
It's just based purely on the comparisons he's already made.Kirk Bevins wrote:I don't get this problem. Surely if he is say 190cm, then there are infinitely many heights below this and infinitely above this so the probability is 1/2 or 1 - but these are both wrong. I don't really understand your question.
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 7:12 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
Hmm. 6/11? I'm not too sure, and I can a potential flaw with what I've done, but it's the best I've got. What's your reasoning for this? Call john J, and anyone else X. You can write it out as |X|X|X|X|X|J|X|X|X|X| | is where the next person must go (since there can't be two people with the same he...
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 2:18 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: The Bus Journey
- Replies: 7
- Views: 3542
Re: The Bus Journey
Again I may as well state the obvious. Is it 10? I can't see any way of determining any other answer with the data we're given. Nope. I would've thought 9, given that he's the tenth person and each person gets on independently of all the others. But maybe I need to think about this more carefully. ...
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 1:58 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
Nope.Ben Pugh wrote:1/2?
Nope!Joseph Bolas wrote:This may sound weird but is there a 100% chance (so 1/1) that the next guy is shorter than he is?
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 1:57 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
I have worked this out, and the figure does seem wrong, but I will post what I got anyway (on the very very slim chance I may be right :lol:): Out of the 1024 possible combinations, only 512 can end with a short person. There are a total of 126 combinations out of the remaining 512, where there are...
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 1:56 pm
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
What's your reasoning for this?Conor wrote:Hmm. 6/11?
I'm not too sure, and I can a potential flaw with what I've done, but it's the best I've got.
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 1:26 am
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
If you were to take all the possibilits of 10 people regardless of height then it should be 1024? Then if you take all the combinations out of those 1024 where there are 6-small & 4 large (first 9 in any order, the 10th being short) then that number, over 1024, simplified (if possible), should ...
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 1:26 am
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Re: Heights
Nope.dinos_the_chemist wrote:This seems too obvious so is probably wrong but I may as well go ahead and say it. 5/9?
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 12:37 am
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: The Bus Journey
- Replies: 7
- Views: 3542
Re: The Bus Journey
Ah, it's me isn't it? It's that one isn't it, where you say "you're driving a bus", and then do all that other crazy shit, and then ask the driver's name, and you're supposed to be all like "wtf?!!1 the driver's name? but what about all the people getting on and off and that??!!"...
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 12:36 am
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: Heights
- Replies: 43
- Views: 7887
Heights
John has no idea how tall he is relative to other people, so he decides to compare his height with some. After nine random comparisons, he is taller than five and shorter than four. Assuming that no two people are exactly the same height, what is the probability that he will be taller than the next ...
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 12:33 am
- Forum: Games and Puzzles
- Topic: The Bus Journey
- Replies: 7
- Views: 3542
The Bus Journey
Every day there is a bus that travels from A to B, taking people who live at A to B. Each day, each resident of A has an equal chance of getting on the bus, and their chance of getting the bus is completely independent of anyone else. There are also thousands of residents of A, so by getting on the ...
- Sat Feb 02, 2008 12:18 am
- Forum: Countdown - Historical recaps
- Topic: Recap for 24 January 2003 - C of C XI Grand Final
- Replies: 38
- Views: 6833
Re: Recap for 24 January 2003 - C of C XI Grand Final
That's all somewhat pointless really. There's no point comparing live rounds, 'crucial' conundrums and other high pressure situtations with my games where I won comfortably because they're completely different. Yeah, alright. But it's the best comparison I could think of at the time. Most statistic...
- Fri Feb 01, 2008 5:23 pm
- Forum: Countdown - General
- Topic: Numbers game and running totals...
- Replies: 10
- Views: 4356
Re: Numbers game and running totals...
What about the rule on getting two zeros (say 4-4 and 5-5) and dividing them by each other and declaring the answer to be the total you are after?