Comments on: A little puzzle http://programmerthoughts.com/thoughts/a-little-puzzle/ Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:59:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: clay http://programmerthoughts.com/thoughts/a-little-puzzle/#comment-76 clay Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:19:16 +0000 http://johnandkaren.com/blog/?p=230#comment-76 The fishing one is easy. You only keep 10 fish in the pot at all times - as you catch another you throw out the smallest. (If the warden counts 11 fish in the boat as disqualify, you may only be able to hold onto 9 at a time) I actually would expect acceptance slots to filled in the same manor. Each time you want to add a new candidate beyond the limit of available seats - you have to decide who you're going to toss out. I'm unclear on the boxes problem. Do you (when offering me a box) know before hand the amount of money in it? Or it's a surprise to us both after I choose to pass? If I don't know the amount of the money in the box until after I choose - how could I possibly strategize? Can I shake them like a Christmas gift? ;) The fishing one is easy. You only keep 10 fish in the pot at all times – as you catch another you throw out the smallest. (If the warden counts 11 fish in the boat as disqualify, you may only be able to hold onto 9 at a time)

I actually would expect acceptance slots to filled in the same manor. Each time you want to add a new candidate beyond the limit of available seats – you have to decide who you’re going to toss out.

I’m unclear on the boxes problem. Do you (when offering me a box) know before hand the amount of money in it? Or it’s a surprise to us both after I choose to pass? If I don’t know the amount of the money in the box until after I choose – how could I possibly strategize? Can I shake them like a Christmas gift? ;)

]]> By: John http://programmerthoughts.com/thoughts/a-little-puzzle/#comment-75 John Sat, 09 May 2009 20:19:48 +0000 http://johnandkaren.com/blog/?p=230#comment-75 <a href="#comment-309" rel="nofollow">@Jon</a> I think that's probably how the essays are graded. It makes a lot of sense. When I first heard it, though, I thought about it from a computer science perspective, and, as always in CS, the issue is scale. A few hundred papers to grade would be tedious, but not impossible. A few thousand gets really difficult, and over ten thousand gets close to impossible. (But what happens if you have a few million?) Even if (or especially if) there are multiple graders, how do you ensure that the best get in? Perhaps you need to adjust each grader's results and then adjust all of the graders together, but that doesn't seen like a fair system to those who are on the edge--those that are either right above or right below the cutoff. @Jon
I think that’s probably how the essays are graded. It makes a lot of sense. When I first heard it, though, I thought about it from a computer science perspective, and, as always in CS, the issue is scale. A few hundred papers to grade would be tedious, but not impossible. A few thousand gets really difficult, and over ten thousand gets close to impossible. (But what happens if you have a few million?) Even if (or especially if) there are multiple graders, how do you ensure that the best get in? Perhaps you need to adjust each grader’s results and then adjust all of the graders together, but that doesn’t seen like a fair system to those who are on the edge–those that are either right above or right below the cutoff.

]]> By: Jon http://programmerthoughts.com/thoughts/a-little-puzzle/#comment-74 Jon Sat, 09 May 2009 16:49:27 +0000 http://johnandkaren.com/blog/?p=230#comment-74 Well, since I've been in education for a while, maybe I can share a plausible essay rating strategy. First, read each on and grade it somehow (could include grammar, substance, etc.). Then, when all are graded as such, use a simple bell curve to stratify them. Then, simply send acceptance letters to the top percentage. Sorry, I have no idea of how to do the boxes either, though I find that far harder than grading app essays. Well, since I’ve been in education for a while, maybe I can share a plausible essay rating strategy.

First, read each on and grade it somehow (could include grammar, substance, etc.). Then, when all are graded as such, use a simple bell curve to stratify them. Then, simply send acceptance letters to the top percentage.

Sorry, I have no idea of how to do the boxes either, though I find that far harder than grading app essays.

]]> By: Justin Allison http://programmerthoughts.com/thoughts/a-little-puzzle/#comment-73 Justin Allison Fri, 08 May 2009 05:12:25 +0000 http://johnandkaren.com/blog/?p=230#comment-73 I'm going to think about this one. When I'm tired - like now, I would probably just take the first ten, and then go to sleep. I’m going to think about this one. When I’m tired – like now, I would probably just take the first ten, and then go to sleep.

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