A Conversation for The Trick that Fooled Einstein [Peer Review version]

Peer Review: A87841038 - The Trick that Fooled Einstein

Post 1

Icy North

Entry: The Trick that Fooled Einstein - A87841038
Author: Icy North - U225620

Greetings, Peer Reviewers smiley - smiley

A story of how Einstein was once bamboozled by logic.

Comments, corrections and suggestions welcome.

smiley - cheers Icy


A87841038 - The Trick that Fooled Einstein

Post 2

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

I really like this. smiley - biggrin

The clever bit is the way you pulled the same trick as the magician: told us a tale about how Einstein was 'fooled', then debunked the tale. smiley - cool


A87841038 - The Trick that Fooled Einstein

Post 3

minorvogonpoet

This is good. smiley - smiley You've explained it clearly enough for even me to understand!

I think there's a whole raft of sayings and doings attributed to Einstein that never happened. The New Scientist had a piece on this recently newscientist.com/article/mg22329851.200-feedback-taking-einsteins-name-in-vain.html- unfortunately you can't read the whole of it on the web without subscribing.


A87841038 - The Trick that Fooled Einstein

Post 4

SashaQ - happysad

I read this, but I think I'm missing something...

The magician takes X coins from the glass bowl, and the subject takes Y, and X > Y.

So at the first statement, Y coins are on the table, and the magician puts Y coins down.

At the second statement, he puts 6 more down

At the third statement, he puts 15-Y coins down so he has put 15-Y+6+Y coins on the table and X=21 and Y<15

smiley - 2cents When 'Einstein' asks where the extra coins come from, which extra coins is he referring to?

smiley - 2cents What does it mean for all three predictions to be correct?

If statement 1 is true, then he has ?exactly Y coins or is that also "at least as much as Y"?
If statement 2 is true, he has (?at least) Y + 6 coins
If statement 3 is true, he has 15 + 6 coins

Fascinating smiley - online2longsmiley - laugh


A87841038 - The Trick that Fooled Einstein

Post 5

Icy North

Interesting, thanks mvp smiley - smiley

It's probably not reproducing too much of it to say the next few sentences are:

Feedback finds the purveyors of these quotes unimaginative in their old-grouch impersonation. We started spreading memes bemoaning the ill effects of this "writing" thing -- but remembered that someone called Socrates anticipated us 2400 years ago.

TWEETERS are, of course, not the originators of Einstein abuse: writers wanting to give the impression of being Very Serious have long been wont to open their tomes with his words. A recent example from old media is a Jerusalem Post columnist, arguing in July for "dismantling Gaza", opening with these alleged words of Einstein: "We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them." Someone will be along in a moment to insist that what Einstein actually said was: "No problem can be solved by the same kind of thinking that created it" (but, probably, in German) and that the comment applies only to experiments such as those that showed the unvarying speed of light. The columnist's version seems to be halfway from there to the far more common rewrite: "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." But this version implies chakras and vibrations -- rather than the supply lines and explosions the columnist had in mind.


A87841038 - The Trick that Fooled Einstein

Post 6

Icy North

Thanks Sasha,

I don't have access to Koran's materials, but I've heard the reports of Einstein's reaction from two sources. I'm guessing Einstein thought the magician was producing additional coins (he thought) from up his sleeve to make up Einstein's number to the figure he'd predicted.

You say you're missing something on the maths, but you've described it accurately. In that example, the magician knows he's taken 21 coins.

If the subject has 10 coins, say, then the magician shows 10 + 6 + 5 more to make 10 up to the predicted 15.

If the subject has 11, then the magician shows 11 + 6 + 4 to make 11 up to the predicted 15

etc.


A87841038 - The Trick that Fooled Einstein

Post 7

SashaQ - happysad

I've read it again, and I was missing the setup of the trick!

"Now, I'm going to tell you exactly how much change you have. Impressive, yes?

In fact, I'm going to do something better than that. I'm going to make three predictions:"

So the person on the other end of the trick thinks that the magician knows how much change they have, rather than realising the magician is setting up a statement that is true irrespective of how much they have. smiley - eureka


A87841038 - The Trick that Fooled Einstein

Post 8

Galaxy Babe - eclectic editor

Superb article. Well done Icy smiley - cheers

GB
smiley - galaxysmiley - pumpkin


A87841038 - The Trick that Fooled Einstein

Post 9

Icy North

Thanks GB (and thanks from earlier, Dmitri - I missed yours) smiley - ok


I have no further plans to change this entry - any more for any more?


Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!

Post 10

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Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!

Post 11

bobstafford

smiley - bubblysmiley - ale


Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!

Post 12

Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor

smiley - applause


Congratulations - Your Entry has been Recommended for the Edited Guide!

Post 13

Icy North

If you enjoyed this, I've just written a companion entry:

F48874?thread=8311090

The Trick that Fooled Churchill


Subbie calling

Post 14

Galaxy Babe - eclectic editor

PR thread read. smiley - biro
I'm astonished there's no EGE on Einsteinsmiley - yikes
Must go read Icy's companion entry nowsmiley - run

GB
smiley - galaxysmiley - diva


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