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Topic: I know how he did it!  (Read 1392 times)

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Offline The Bar-Abbas Anomaly

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I know how he did it!
« on: November 30, 2004, 06:56:08 pm »
 
Tonight was the final performance of Ken Jennings, who has smoked all challengers on 'Jeopardy' (TV game show, for all you non-US folk...) for months winning over $2.5 MILLION dollars in the process.

And I know how he did it.

The average person with above-average intelligence should know the answers to almost 2/3rds of all the questions (give or take a few), but due to the structure of the show most people will not get to answer every question they know....  You have to beat out the other two contestants with the buzzer, so things even out and nobody can practically answer more than 40 ~ 50% of the questions.  People could go on runs, but eventually these odds caught up with them.

Jennings beat those odds - but HOW is the key....  When a question comes up, it's displayed on the screen and Alex Trebek reads it out loud.  Human nature forces us all to read the question along with Alex! (think about that for a moment), but Ken was able to overcome this....  He could block out Alex and read the question himself visually, and decide if he knew the answer and start clicking on the buzzer before the other two contestants had even finished processing what they were hearing.  This allowed him to answer almost every question that he knew the answer to, and run the table for 75 games.

What?!?  You think ya got a better theory???
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Offline Sirgod

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Re: I know how he did it!
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2004, 07:11:40 pm »
Actually That Does make alot of Sense.

given My problems with dyslexia, I myself was even able to Learn how to Speed read. Fist It was by Sentance or Each line in a book, Then by Focusing on Paragraphs, and at one time, By the whole page at a time. This allowed me to Interpret Information Very quickly that was Text Based.

Unfortuantly, My Concentration is nowhere Near what It used to be.

But It is very Possible.

Stephen
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Ravok

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Re: I know how he did it!
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2004, 07:31:47 pm »
You should try to go on, and test your theory out. :)
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Offline The Bar-Abbas Anomaly

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Re: I know how he did it!
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2004, 08:01:26 pm »
Quote from: Ravok on November 30, 2004, 07:31:47 pm
You should try to go on, and test your theory out. :)


Not me, man... I'm as slow as smoke.  Give me time to think it over and I think I'm pretty sharp, but my brain just don't work non too quickly.
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Ravok

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Re: I know how he did it!
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2004, 08:04:59 pm »
 Too bad you could have made some good money.
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Offline S'Raek

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Re: I know how he did it!
« Reply #5 on: December 01, 2004, 10:27:23 am »
I like to play along at home, but I'm sure I'd freeze if I was on TV.  (I don't always do that great at home anyway.  :) )  Jeopardy is one of my favorite shows. 
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Offline KBF-Angel Slayer

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Re: I know how he did it!
« Reply #6 on: December 01, 2004, 11:31:32 am »
   Makes sense.  But he still has to have the answers. 
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Offline _Rondo_GE The OutLaw

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Re: I know how he did it!
« Reply #7 on: December 01, 2004, 06:28:43 pm »
Quote from: Barabbas on November 30, 2004, 06:56:08 pm

Tonight was the final performance of Ken Jennings, who has smoked all challengers on 'Jeopardy' (TV game show, for all you non-US folk...) for months winning over $2.5 MILLION dollars in the process.

And I know how he did it.

The average person with above-average intelligence should know the answers to almost 2/3rds of all the questions (give or take a few), but due to the structure of the show most people will not get to answer every question they know....  You have to beat out the other two contestants with the buzzer, so things even out and nobody can practically answer more than 40 ~ 50% of the questions.  People could go on runs, but eventually these odds caught up with them.

Jennings beat those odds - but HOW is the key....  When a question comes up, it's displayed on the screen and Alex Trebek reads it out loud.  Human nature forces us all to read the question along with Alex! (think about that for a moment), but Ken was able to overcome this....  He could block out Alex and read the question himself visually, and decide if he knew the answer and start clicking on the buzzer before the other two contestants had even finished processing what they were hearing.  This allowed him to answer almost every question that he knew the answer to, and run the table for 75 games.

What?!?  You think ya got a better theory???

I think he just clicked the buzzer fast.  Whether he knew it or not who knows.
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Offline Dash Jones

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Re: I know how he did it!
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2004, 09:34:48 pm »
Those dang Mormons...they think they know the all the answers...but they just read faster...

Wait a second...gotta think how to rephrase that one...
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Offline theSea

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Re: I know how he did it!
« Reply #9 on: December 03, 2004, 09:54:28 am »
Most people try  to remember the answer.... that takes a while.  The trick is to be able to quickly decide whether or not you know the answer and have the confidence to click the buzzer based on that decesion.  You then have a leisurely 5 seconds or so to figure it out/recall the data.  If you can consistantly deliver on that it's quite an advantage.

Daily Double strategy is also a big part of that game - most people bet very conservatively.  Unless the category is a total mystery to you, getting DD on a $100 or $200 question is an invitation to a runaway. 

People also don't play the odds very well on Final Jeopardy... unless it's a runaway (1st place has more than twice the $$ of 2nd place) second place guy needs to remember that finishing second means you go home with a lovely consolation gift and NO money... so you might as well bet big.

Anyways, just my cr0.02 and a little wisdom learned watching Jeopardy with my old man for a decade or so....

YMMV

theSea
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