This is my fourth Numbers Contest, NUM4
Reply ONLY by e-mail to momo@physics.ucsb.edu.
Do NOT post answers to any newsgroup.
Entries must reach here by Sunday, November 4th, 2001, 2:00 P.M.
(L.A. time, zone -7).
If you like this contest, you may also like my first adjacency contest,
MOJO.ADJ1, which ends on the same date. And even if you don't like this
contest, you may still like MOJO.ADJ1. So check it out.
This is a new type of contest, so be sure and read the rules. There are
ten questions below, labelled A through J. For each question, you are
given a set of numbers, and must pick a single number from that set. Your
object is to get a number which is both large and rare -- obviously,
these two goals may conflict with one another. Specifically, for each
question, your score will be equal to the number you have picked, divided
by the number of people (including yourself) who picked that number for that
question. So if 5 people pick the number 13, on a question where 13 is in the
set, they will each score 13/5. Your total score is the product of your score
on each individual question. High score wins.
If on any question you enter a number not in the set, you will receive a
penalty score on that question equal to 1 divided by the number of entrants
in the contest. You should also feel very ashamed of yourself. :) Entrants
are asked to refrain from using randomizing elements in making their choices.
A. {1,2}
B. {1,2,4}
C. {1,2,4,8}
D. {1,3}
E. {1,3,9}
F. {1,6}
G. {8,9}
H. {1,3,5,7}
I. {1,2,3,4,5}
J. {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}
The rest of the rules are standard boilerplate : If you've been in any
of my contests before (or Mark Braders'), you've seen this all before.
For my convenience please do not quote this message when reponding.
You message should contain your answers, labelled A to J, and your name.
Additional comments, explanatory notes, explanations of strategy,
and suggestions for questions for future contests are all welcome, but
please place them after your ten answers, and make sure that they are
clearly marked so as not to be confused with your answers. Your e-mail
address will be posted in the results if I don't see both a first and
a last name, or an explicit request for a particular form of your name
to be used.
Multiple entries are not allowed. Please do not post any discussion
of the questions to any newsgroup while the contest is in progress,
or collaborate with other contestants in your entries.
If you have questions about the rules, please e-mail me rather than
posting questions to the newsgroup.
Have fun!
Momo Jeng (momo@physics.ucsb.edu)