https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/the-f ... l-equation
Anyone ever noticed (or, better yet, calculated) the frequency with which Zach repeats the word "THE" after a line break?
[2018-01-31] The Fundamental Equation
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Re: [2018-01-31] The Fundamental Equation
Reminds me of a coworker who asked me, "Have you seen The Saving The Private Ryan?"
Re: [2018-01-31] The Fundamental Equation
Nice cartoon!
But I would disagree with the statement "Utility remains constant" given the graph. It would seem "Desire to help", Y, is negatively correlated with "Ability to help", X. So Y = A - B*X. When you define utility as the product of "Desire to help" and "Ability to help", it follows that utility = Y * X = A*X - B * X^2. This formula has a local maximum when the derivative equals zero, so at A - 2*B*X = 0. It follows that utility of children grows until the age where ability to help equals A /(2*B) , after which it decreases again. So maybe if we can quantify the parameters of this system, we can find a way to trap our children forever in the state where utility is maximised?
But I would disagree with the statement "Utility remains constant" given the graph. It would seem "Desire to help", Y, is negatively correlated with "Ability to help", X. So Y = A - B*X. When you define utility as the product of "Desire to help" and "Ability to help", it follows that utility = Y * X = A*X - B * X^2. This formula has a local maximum when the derivative equals zero, so at A - 2*B*X = 0. It follows that utility of children grows until the age where ability to help equals A /(2*B) , after which it decreases again. So maybe if we can quantify the parameters of this system, we can find a way to trap our children forever in the state where utility is maximised?
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Re: [2018-01-31] The Fundamental Equation
I noticed the other day that Zach had fixed the doubled "THE" in the second panel, and now it's unfixed again.
Curiouser and curiouser!
Curiouser and curiouser!
Re: [2018-01-31] The Fundamental Equation
Don't you mean Curioser and the curioser?Tony wrote:I noticed the other day that Zach had fixed the doubled "THE" in the second panel, and now it's unfixed again.
Curiouser and curiouser!
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Re: [2018-01-31] The Fundamental Equation
No, I don't.BlueKrait wrote:Don't you mean Curioser and the curioser?
Edit: Oh, you were making a joke about having an extra "the" in there! Hahaha! Sorry I missed that.
Last edited by Tony on Sun Apr 08, 2018 7:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: [2018-01-31] The Fundamental Equation
That sound like one of those 80s cartoons about a parental figure taking a gaggle of kids on science themed adventures.BlueKrait wrote:Don't you mean Curioser and the curioser?