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What's the main device to hammer in a nail?

9 months ago by Hofmaimaier to c/science_memes

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yesman 145 points 9 months ago

It's a bullshit question

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credo 11 points 9 months ago

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sp3ctr4l 6 points 9 months ago

B should be: A and/or D.

There, now its a bafflingly bullshit question.

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Triumph 116 points 9 months ago

All right, let's break this down.

For this question, for these available answers, choosing at random:

First glance says the correct percentage is 25%. There are four answers, you get to pick one.

However, two of the answers are 25%. This means you have a 50% chance of picking an answer that's right.

Which makes the correct answer C: 50%.

But there's only one answer that's "50%", so you have a 25% chance of picking that one.

Which makes the correct answer "25%", so you have a 50% chance of picking that one.

If we consider that "two answer" equation, we can then consider the correct percentage to be "37.5%" -- halfway between 25% and 50%. That makes the correct answer from the available answers to be B: 0%.

And you have a 25% chance of picking that one at random. So we go back to the beginning, where the correct percentage is 25%.

I think we need to get Matt Parker on this one.

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TowardsTheFuture 18 points 9 months ago

There is simply no solution. If you choose an answer as “correct” it is shown to be not correct, (not a 25% chance to choose 25%, not a 50% chance to choose 50%, not a 0% chance to choose 0%) showing there is no correct answer.

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Triumph 5 points 9 months ago

There's always a solution. Even if it's "empty set".

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TowardsTheFuture 2 points 9 months ago

Sure same thing.

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Artisian 15 points 9 months ago

They don't say that the random answer is chosen uniformly (though that is the norm in the field). If we relax that, then we're putting a distribution on these where we want:

P(correct with distribution (a,b,c,d)) = some value shown on A,B,C,D

I don't see any assumption that we will pick using that distribution, so I think this avoids the recursion.

Unfortunately this has too many solutions. If you put a total of 0.25 weight on A and D, then the rest does not matter. If you put 0.5 weight on C, again the rest is irrelevant.

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Triumph 15 points 9 months ago

You've added details that aren't in the question. It's like asking what are the odds of rolling a "one" on a 1d4, and then saying "Well, if it's not a fair 1d4, then ..."

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Artisian 8 points 9 months ago

... I... I literally talked about this. It's the first words.

They don’t say that the random answer is chosen uniformly (though that is the norm in the field). If we relax that,...

What more was needed?

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Triumph 7 points 9 months ago

If we relax that, ...

The question is as posed. We have no indication that we should assume a different distribution of "random".

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Soup 2 points 9 months ago

There’s also, I think, the weird fucky option were 75% sorta works because the 25% applies to choosing 50% and 50% applies to choosing 25% which means that as long as you don’t choose 0% you’re good?

BUT ALSO, none of the question says it’s talking about itself. It could just mean in general, so we can choose 25% on purpose and then glare at whoever made A and D the same.

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then_three_more 51 points 9 months ago

Use a 50/50 life line to remove two of the wrong answers and break the logic loop.

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madjo 5 points 9 months ago

Only choose the 50/50 life line if you never mentioned any of the answers as possible answers.

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TedZanzibar 2 points 9 months ago

Yes this! It was so obvious what was going on behind the scenes yet the contestants would merrily show their hand every time.

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Sv443 5 points 9 months ago

What if you're left with A and D though

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then_three_more 4 points 9 months ago

I guess it depends on how 50/50 works whether that's possible or not. Does it remove two wrong answers or does it leave you with one right and one wrong answer? Is light a wave or a particle? We're getting into Schrödinger lifeline territory now.

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Venat0r 2 points 9 months ago

then the show is wrong, and you sue them if get say you're wrong.

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prime_number_314159 2 points 9 months ago

Then one of those is right, and one is wrong. Probably There's a non-printing character in one of the answers that makes it parse as an invalid answer.

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wander1236 41 points 9 months ago

It doesn't say for this question, so 25%

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just2look 56 points 9 months ago

If it isn't for this question, then its unknown how many options you have for the question.

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wander1236 23 points 9 months ago

Damn

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logicbomb 2 points 9 months ago

As you say, the question presented to Fry doesn't mention a question at all. Only an answer. So, you could make an argument that any answer could be the answer to something, and therefore you'd have to choose a 100% chance, which isn't an option.

On the other hand, it asks for the chance of "picking the correct one", clearly meaning "the correct answer". So, as there is no answer that is the correct answer to everything, the correct choice would be 0%, which is an option.

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Bishma 34 points 9 months ago

To answer this question correctly we need to use my favorite super power: pedantry. The meme suggest the rules of who wants to be a millionaire are in play, but that is not expressly stated. Furthermore we're going to ignore our societal training at recognizing multiple choice questions because, again, we're not given instructions.

With these powers combined, the question is ambiguous as it doesn't specify the set from which we are choosing. Using the 4 options below the question is an assumption. Therefore we have to conclude that we're choosing from an infinite set of options, every possible decimal value from 0 to 100.

The answer is an extremely small percentage, approaching zero.

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dontbelievethis 17 points 9 months ago

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REDACTED 5 points 9 months ago

So.. 25?

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cypherpunks 31 points 9 months ago

"is this a pigeon?" butterfly meme, captioned "is this numberwang?"

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funkless_eck 10 points 9 months ago

let's rotate the board!

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Akasazh 1 point 9 months ago

Close, it's wanganum

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hakase 28 points 9 months ago

According to my mathematician wife, "it's got the same problem most paradoxes do in that it's self-referential".

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SlurpingPus 2 points 9 months ago

I'll break the mold by creating my own paradox, it'll be known as SlurpingPus' Non-self-referential Paradox.

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NichEherVielleicht 27 points 9 months ago

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Windex007 12 points 9 months ago

NAIL. FINAL ANSWER!

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NichEherVielleicht 8 points 9 months ago

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Aedis 12 points 9 months ago

It's 50/50 either you get it right or you don't duh.

/s in case someone didn't realize it

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dohpaz42 8 points 9 months ago

Since it’s Fry answering the question, the answer is B 0%.

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seaplant 7 points 9 months ago

Simpler version that fits comfier in my head:

What's the opposite of the correct answer to this question?

  • A) There's no correct answer
  • B) There is a correct answer

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Sidhean 1 point 9 months ago

A. There is a correct answer: B.

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Xraygoggles 7 points 9 months ago

Strange loops

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Kolanaki 3 points 9 months ago

I have a 100℅ chance to get this answer right.

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hemko 2 points 9 months ago

0%

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Xanthrax 0 points 9 months ago

25/ 25 cancel each other. 50%.

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JohnnyCanuck 1 point 9 months ago

But there's only one 50. What if you pick 0?

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Xanthrax 1 point 9 months ago

0%

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