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I hate to get into these things HousealThor Send a noteboard - 29/10/2012 05:45:50 PM
In any case, for those who aren’t aware, this thread is based on RJ’s statement that channeler strength in WoT can be represented by a Bell Curve distribution. For those unfamiliar with statistics, a Bell Curve is a perfectly normal distribution, peaking at the average and petering off to either side in a perfectly symmetrical manner.

A Bell Curve by definition means that the distance from the weakest to the strongest channeler is intersected at exactly the 50% mark by the mean (the average channeler). Any skewing of the distribution would mean that the term “Bell Curve” cannot be applied to the distribution. Instead, it would then be either a positively or negatively skewed distribution. But not a Bell Curve.

So the basic rule is that the average channeler has to be exactly half as strong as the strongest channeler. Or to put it differently, a channeler x standard deviations away from the mean on the weak side, must be exactly as far from the mean as a channeler x standard deviations away on the strong side.


And I don't really want to draw any conclusions about the channeling population, but your logic is completely off.

A simple illustration: Any normal distribution is a bell curve, regardless of its standard deviation. So take a normal distribution with a mean of 1 and a standard deviation of 4.1. That means that 9 lies within two standard deviations of the mean, and 1 clearly isn't 50% of 9.
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The Bell Curve revisited Shannow - 29/10/2012 09:44:09 AM 1498 Views
Re: The Bell Curve revisited Tor - 29/10/2012 10:21:27 AM 894 Views
That's incorrect... Shannow - 29/10/2012 10:26:49 AM 1468 Views
Re: That's incorrect... Tor - 29/10/2012 10:36:32 AM 900 Views
Re: That's incorrect... Shannow - 29/10/2012 10:40:27 AM 746 Views
Re: That's incorrect... Tor - 29/10/2012 10:42:57 AM 745 Views
Hehe...There are a few disputing it vocally. Whether they're in their right mind, well... Shannow - 29/10/2012 10:45:07 AM 831 Views
Re: Hehe...There are a few disputing it vocally. Whether they're in their right mind, well... Tor - 29/10/2012 10:49:49 AM 733 Views
Re: Hehe...There are a few disputing it vocally. Whether they're in their right mind, well... Shannow - 29/10/2012 10:56:37 AM 811 Views
It's only as skewed as it seems when you make the assumption that the Forsaken darius_sedai - 31/10/2012 04:34:11 AM 1030 Views
RJ the physicist didn't know math, so that Shannow could be right... fionwe1987 - 29/10/2012 02:11:19 PM 814 Views
Response to a few of your poorly researched points... Shannow - 29/10/2012 02:31:17 PM 760 Views
Re: RJ the physicist didn't know math, so that Shannow could be right... Tor - 29/10/2012 02:37:33 PM 775 Views
Exactly... Shannow - 29/10/2012 02:39:30 PM 774 Views
there are dozens of reasons for this darius_sedai - 29/10/2012 08:18:18 PM 791 Views
Excellent point. fionwe1987 - 29/10/2012 08:24:37 PM 820 Views
Re: there are dozens of reasons for this Tor - 29/10/2012 09:07:35 PM 721 Views
Again I don't argue that genetics play no role darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 01:57:24 AM 697 Views
Re: Again I don't argue that genetics play no role Tor - 30/10/2012 07:07:17 AM 723 Views
I don't think it plays much role in the plot darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 03:17:55 PM 876 Views
Once again just so,we are clear on my stance with Genetics and Strength darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 03:27:11 PM 736 Views
That the 1000 Novices aren't a random sample of the population? fionwe1987 - 29/10/2012 08:23:47 PM 674 Views
And why would it be biased towards those with lower strength? Tor - 29/10/2012 09:11:25 PM 681 Views
Absolutely no reason... fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 01:35:35 AM 781 Views
Re: Absolutely no reason... Tor - 30/10/2012 06:43:54 AM 682 Views
Only if it was a random sampling. Which this is not. fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 01:58:34 PM 768 Views
That's exactly the point. I want you to explain why it wasn't random. Tor - 30/10/2012 02:14:59 PM 691 Views
It wasn't random because it was a self-selected sample! fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 02:43:03 PM 707 Views
Re: It wasn't random because it was a self-selected sample! Tor - 30/10/2012 02:47:30 PM 705 Views
Go read a stats text will you? fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 02:54:16 PM 700 Views
Done Tor - 31/10/2012 09:34:11 AM 1372 Views
You seem to have perfected whining to a Talent... fionwe1987 - 10/11/2012 10:14:19 PM 961 Views
Re: You seem to have perfected whining to a Talent... Tor - 11/11/2012 11:37:16 AM 730 Views
Re: You seem to have perfected whining to a Talent... fionwe1987 - 11/11/2012 07:14:48 PM 659 Views
Re: You seem to have perfected whining to a Talent... Tor - 11/11/2012 08:33:59 PM 1399 Views
Re: You seem to have perfected whining to a Talent... Tor - 11/11/2012 08:43:19 PM 924 Views
Seriously? I went and looked at some statistics books, and you won't even reply? Tor - 01/11/2012 12:13:49 PM 740 Views
Still nothing? Tor - 10/11/2012 03:33:15 PM 713 Views
Still doesn't explain the difference Praziquantel - 30/10/2012 07:01:53 PM 646 Views
Re: Still doesn't explain the difference fionwe1987 - 10/11/2012 10:21:00 PM 730 Views
Yes that totally makes sense Sidious - 30/10/2012 08:07:16 AM 820 Views
Thank you! *NM* Tor - 30/10/2012 10:19:15 AM 379 Views
That's not what happened... fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 02:01:52 PM 743 Views
Re: That's not what happened... Tor - 30/10/2012 02:15:57 PM 705 Views
Who said it would? fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 02:44:17 PM 711 Views
let's not mix up "random" and "representative" darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 05:28:09 PM 774 Views
Doesn't mean RJ applied it to his series Sidious - 30/10/2012 08:23:29 AM 784 Views
But of course he did.. fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 02:13:07 PM 805 Views
I hate to get into these things HousealThor - 29/10/2012 05:45:50 PM 849 Views
I would love for you to be right, because it would solve all our problems, but 0 is the challenge... Shannow - 29/10/2012 07:56:34 PM 807 Views
In the truest sense, you are probably right that it is skewed HousealThor - 29/10/2012 08:20:52 PM 832 Views
Overwhelm Lanfear, not match her. *NM* fionwe1987 - 29/10/2012 08:26:09 PM 412 Views
Truth is, Moiraine was being overly optimistic... Shannow - 29/10/2012 08:39:17 PM 751 Views
You're pathetic... fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 01:20:01 AM 693 Views
The quote isn't specific Sidious - 30/10/2012 08:32:36 AM 814 Views
Its highly specific... fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 02:15:38 PM 644 Views
Yet neither of them are at full potential and at least equal a Forsaken darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 03:45:24 PM 1298 Views
Honestly! darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 02:07:37 AM 743 Views
Re: In the truest sense, you are probably right that it is skewed Tor - 29/10/2012 09:10:27 PM 748 Views
Lots of people mean perfectly normal distribution when they say it HousealThor - 30/10/2012 05:25:35 PM 687 Views
Couldn't the Towers method of obtaining Aes Sedai be to blame? TheCrownless - 30/10/2012 12:04:01 AM 890 Views
Re: Couldn't the Towers method of obtaining Aes Sedai be to blame? Tor - 30/10/2012 09:33:44 AM 814 Views
Are you sure about that? TheCrownless - 30/10/2012 12:03:43 PM 815 Views
Re: Are you sure about that? Tor - 30/10/2012 12:19:34 PM 721 Views
That doesn't seem a coherent narrative to me TheCrownless - 30/10/2012 04:26:25 PM 1018 Views
Sharina did not have the Spark, nor did Nicola darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 05:16:40 PM 826 Views
Re: Sharina did not have the Spark, nor did Nicola TheCrownless - 30/10/2012 05:54:41 PM 711 Views
We do not know if Cadsuane or any of the Forsaken are Sparkers darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 10:33:55 PM 840 Views
Re: We do not know if Cadsuane or any of the Forsaken are Sparkers TheCrownless - 31/10/2012 12:30:52 AM 792 Views
A handful of examples are all we have and we have proof that an extremely strong Channeler darius_sedai - 31/10/2012 02:58:57 AM 629 Views
you're confusing 2 things Zaphod - 30/10/2012 04:27:32 AM 888 Views
+1 *NM* Sidious - 30/10/2012 09:17:07 AM 818 Views
Re: you're confusing 2 things Simon - 30/10/2012 09:21:39 AM 789 Views
Not true... Shannow - 30/10/2012 11:49:57 AM 801 Views
One thing HousealThor - 30/10/2012 05:23:17 PM 778 Views
That's the problem. The BC RJ has "built" has a minimum and a maximum value darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 05:48:55 PM 798 Views
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