Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[AndrewT]

I had the answer explained to me and I still had to think about it all night before I understood it.

It's easier to understand if you say there are 100 doors at the start - then it becomes obvious why you should switch.

Er.. yeah... Right 

Because, to leave the same situation (your door and one other), the host would have to open 98 doors, all showing goats. By then, it would be fairly obvious that the chances of the car being behind the one he leaves are pretty high.

[RED-DOG]

I had the answer explained to me and I still had to think about it all night before I understood it.

It's easier to understand if you say there are 100 doors at the start - then it becomes obvious why you should switch.

Er.. yeah... Right 

Because, to leave the same situation (your door and one other), the host would have to open 98 doors, all showing goats. By then, it would be fairly obvious that the chances of the car being behind the one he leaves are pretty high.

Damn! Beat me to it.

[RED-DOG]

And what about those prime numbers? Apparently, there is no formula for predicting what the next one will be, you just have to check it to see if it is one.

[RED-DOG]

What's happened to google images? I want the old version back.

[tikay]

And what about those prime numbers? Apparently, there is no formula for predicting what the next one will be, you just have to check it to see if it is one.

There is some truly terrific stuff on that Tom, & prime numbers generally, in Simon Singh's "Fermat's Last Theorem". It's a really eye-opening book, one of the best you could ever read.

And it shows the link between prime numbers, & nature. One particular insect only breeds every 17 years, so as to avoid the beeding cycles of all it's predators. (it only lives for one day, too!).

And it proves that you can determine the exact length of any river by measuring the "as the crow flies" distance from source to river, & then multiplying that by pye. Go figure THAT one!

Who needs Fiction when you can read that sort of stuff?

[RED-DOG]

And it proves that you can determine the exact length of any river by measuring the "as the crow flies" distance from source to river, & then multiplying that by pye. Go figure THAT one!

I am absolutely astounded by that one.

Now I need to know why the exact length is a determinable by a constant, repeatable mathematical formula.

[tikay]

I meant "from source to sea", of course, my apologies. No less astounding, though.

That one kept me awake for weeks.

[AndrewT]

I've never been convinced by that river thing - I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the ratios of all the rivers average out to about 3.14.

[RED-DOG]

What's happened to google images? I want the old version back.

Normally I would have just googled an image of Iain Dowie and used it to make a joke on the Camel's "Sky Sports News" thread.

Now try posting that first Iain Dowie pic and see what happens....

[tikay]

I've never been convinced by that river thing - I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the ratios of all the rivers average out to about 3.14.

!!!

I think it took me about 5 years before I came to accept it.

The book is full of such stuff.

The book was a gift to me from Paul "Dotcom" Phillips, who gave it to me in Dublin in about 2003, as a result of which, I started reading his "Extempore" Journal/Blog, which, along with Camels Ruminations, turned out to be the best two poker Journal/Blogs I have ever read.

Andrew, in fact, may know the technical difference between a "Blog", & in the case of the now defunct Extempore, a "Journal". I thought the way the Extempore "Journal" worked was as good as it gets.

[RED-DOG]

I've never been convinced by that river thing - I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the ratios of all the rivers average out to about 3.14.

!!!

I think it took me about 5 years before I came to accept it.

The book is full of such stuff.

The book was a gift to me from Paul "Dotcom" Phillips, who gave it to me in Dublin in about 2003, as a result of which, I started reading his "Extempore" Journal/Blog, which, along with Camels Ruminations, turned out to be the best two poker Journal/Blogs I have ever read.

Andrew, in fact, may know the technical difference between a "Blog", & in the case of the now defunct Extempore, a "Journal". I thought the way the Extempore "Journal" worked was as good as it gets.

Had to look it up.

extempore [ɪkˈstɛmpərɪ]
adv & adj
without planning or preparation; impromptu
[from Latin ex tempore instantaneously, from ex-1 out of + tempus time]

[tikay]

I've never been convinced by that river thing - I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the ratios of all the rivers average out to about 3.14.

!!!

I think it took me about 5 years before I came to accept it.

The book is full of such stuff.

The book was a gift to me from Paul "Dotcom" Phillips, who gave it to me in Dublin in about 2003, as a result of which, I started reading his "Extempore" Journal/Blog, which, along with Camels Ruminations, turned out to be the best two poker Journal/Blogs I have ever read.

Andrew, in fact, may know the technical difference between a "Blog", & in the case of the now defunct Extempore, a "Journal". I thought the way the Extempore "Journal" worked was as good as it gets.

Had to look it up.

extempore [ɪkˈstɛmpərɪ]
adv & adj
without planning or preparation; impromptu
[from Latin ex tempore instantaneously, from ex-1 out of + tempus time]

As in "random jottings", about anything or everything, & at any time. Almost like a sporadic Diary.

[Jon MW]

And what about those prime numbers? Apparently, there is no formula for predicting what the next one will be, you just have to check it to see if it is one.

There is some truly terrific stuff on that Tom, & prime numbers generally, in Simon Singh's "Fermat's Last Theorem". It's a really eye-opening book, one of the best you could ever read.

And it shows the link between prime numbers, & nature. One particular insect only breeds every 17 years, so as to avoid the beeding cycles of all it's predators. (it only lives for one day, too!).

And it proves that you can determine the exact length of any river by measuring the "as the crow flies" distance from source to river, & then multiplying that by pye. Go figure THAT one!

Who needs Fiction when you can read that sort of stuff?

I wrote a history of prime numbers for my maths degree and that was before Singh made them all popular - he published Fermat's Last Theorem the year I graduated. It would have been a lot easier to write if I'd had his resources

[AndrewT]

The book said not that the ratio of all rivers' real lengths to straight line lengths was pi, but that the average of all the rivers looked at was 3.14 - big big difference.

The average of any set of measurements will turn out to be some number. That number may well be very close to one which might have some other significance. Doesn't necessarily mean anything though.

[RED-DOG]

And what about those prime numbers? Apparently, there is no formula for predicting what the next one will be, you just have to check it to see if it is one.

There is some truly terrific stuff on that Tom, & prime numbers generally, in Simon Singh's "Fermat's Last Theorem". It's a really eye-opening book, one of the best you could ever read.

And it shows the link between prime numbers, & nature. One particular insect only breeds every 17 years, so as to avoid the beeding cycles of all it's predators. (it only lives for one day, too!).

And it proves that you can determine the exact length of any river by measuring the "as the crow flies" distance from source to river, & then multiplying that by pye. Go figure THAT one!

Who needs Fiction when you can read that sort of stuff?

I wrote a history of prime numbers for my maths degree and that was before Singh made them all popular - he published Fermat's Last Theorem the year I graduated. It would have been a lot easier to write if I'd had his resources

When it comes to maths, I need someone to hold my hand. So, bearing that in mind, is this true?

And what about those prime numbers? Apparently, there is no formula for predicting what the next one will be, you just have to check it to see if it is one.

If it is, what is the biggest known prime number?