3 ms·
This is not quite asking people to pick the lowest unique prime number, because it was clear in advance that the prize would go to the individuals who picked th
by simonster 14y ago
This is not quite asking people to pick the lowest unique prime number, because it was clear in advance that the prize would go to the individuals who picked the five lowest unique prime numbers, rather than the single individual who picked the lowest. This means that there is an incentive to err on the side of picking a prime number that's too high, rather than a prime number that's too low, which probably skews the distribution.
- Estragon 14y agoThe moderators have struck again. The title used to be "What happens when you ask people to pick the lowest prime number no one else will pick."
- 3143 14y agoThat's just as bad. The problem is in the word "lowest," because it is understood to mean "the one lowest".
- excuse-me 14y agoThe fact that there are 5 is important Your strategy isn't to pick the lowest prime. It's to pick a prime that less than 5 other people would pick lower than - so you will tend to pick a higher number. The larger the group of pickers the higher you should pick.
- mistercow 14y agoIt's not just as bad; it gives a closer to accurate picture, and it's pretty obnoxious of the mods to change it to be less illuminating. The way it's written now, I thought it was going to be about asking people a nonsensical mathematical question (which still has a correct answer), and seeing how the nonsensical curve-ball affects their answer.
- HorizonXP 14y agoAgreed. When I read the title, I thought, "WTH, what's so hard about picking the number 2? Is this article about how few people know this fact or something?"