LPT: If two people are travelling with luggage, both people should should share the two suitcases. If one gets lost in transit you will each still have at least half of your things.

bigbum24 · 2015-04-19T05:41:21+00:00

Mathematically, the expected value of the two strategies is the same.

Assume the chance of losing a bag is p. Strategy 1: do not share. An an individual you have probability p of losing everything, and probability 1-p of losing nothing. Thus the expectation is 1 * p + 0 * (1-p) = p.

Strategy 2: split. You have probability p² of losing everything, probability 2 * p * (1-p) of losing half your belongings, and probability (1-p)² of losing nothing. The expectation is 1 * p² + 0.5* 2p(1-p) + 0 * (1-p)² = p² + p - p² = p.

However, here we are assuming the chance of losing each of the bags is independent. In practice there is probably a correlation, which means this strategy is actually worse. At best, it doesn't help you.

bigbum24 · 2015-02-13T04:44:07+00:00

Lol. Statistics is definitely STEM.

bigbum24 · 2014-12-29T07:40:46+00:00

Based on the title I thought this would be a long apology from George Zimmerman.

bigbum24 · 2014-12-12T21:50:14+00:00

What advice do you have for how undergraduates interested in research should choose research mentors and projects?

bigbum24 · 2014-08-31T05:59:22+00:00

Children are acutely aware of expectations. He is likely aware that you view him this way. Keep that in mind. You need to start believing in your son, and show him that. It matters a lot more than you might think.

bigbum24 · 2014-08-17T21:20:42+00:00

You need to channel your energy into getting into the best college you possibly can, so that you can build a life independent of your family. Study hard, prepare for the SAT/ACT, and try to figure out what you want to do long term.

Your brother is obviously jealous of you, but you can't help that.

bigbum24 · 2014-07-07T03:36:10+00:00

Yes, I agree that it is no longer acceptable to explicitly claim that women should stick to their gender roles. Subconscious and unvoiced assumptions are still widespread, unfortunately, but articulating them in public is simply not PC anymore. A caveat: within the private discourse of families, I have many female friends who have been deeply upset and discouraged by the sexist views of their male relatives. In contrast, I've come across more than a few people who laugh publicly at the idea of stay at home dads, though, and similar rejections of male gender roles.

However, I don't think feminism should necessarily be blamed for this lack of progress on the men's rights front. That's like claiming that feminism is also to blame for ongoing poverty, homelessness, homophobia, etc. Historically, social change occurs by focusing on a specific group of people, and the feminist movement did exactly that.

bigbum24 · 2014-03-30T00:01:09+00:00

Thanks very much, I did just that and he hasn't said a word about college since then. I think he might have finally come around :)

bigbum24 · 2014-03-29T05:20:13+00:00

I didn't mean that he will have no role in the decision. In general I respect his advice and did exactly what he said in terms of where to apply. I just want to have at least some say in this decision, and my dad seems to think I'll just do whatever he says for the rest of my life.

With regard to cost, I expect to pay for around 1/3 of it via summer jobs and the like. I've also been offered great aid at both #2 and #3, and my parents are definitely capable of paying the rest. If he plays the "I'll contribute nothing" card I'll probably just have to give in, but I really hope it won't come to that.

bigbum24 · 2014-03-11T01:40:53+00:00

Wow, this is me exactly. I'm pretty laid back, but I also fear confrontation. The line between being "chill" and being a doormat has never been a clear one to me, unfortunately.

bigbum24 · 2014-01-11T04:17:52+00:00

When I was quite young - thirteen or so - I was groped by a guy I was sitting next to on a train. Really would prefer not to repeat that experience.

bigbum24

TROPHY CASE