RJ applied his physics to the theory of the WoT loosely. Whenever he has been asked about strength he says he knows where everyone stands in relation to everyone else, but he has never said that he has a strength scale from 1 to 100. He has a categorical list, and whether this stretches from 1 to 21 is controversial. Everything we debate about is extrapolated from a loosely applied theorem.
If RJ is asked about battles, he often refers to knowledge, Talent, angreal, allies or other factors to answer the question. He has never answered anything scientifically e.g. he was asked how two women could hold someone as powerful as Nynaeve and he said that Falion/Ispan had a shielding Talent. He did not say that two women can hold a Forsaken woman etc.
He keeps it vague. In essence our debates are pointless, but that doesn't mean we can't point out controversial areas where quotes conflict.
I'm in the medical profession - it doesn't mean I would go crazy medically if I wrote WoT. There is no evidence that RJ put more than a cursory glance into his OP system of strength, especially in areas of combat.
Now if you apply the bell curve to the strength levels it peaks at level 10, which would make most women in the area as strong as Delana/Liandrin. Which is perfectly fine. There is no evidence that level 10 is half as powerful as level 20. Level 10 is merely the most common level. Level 21 is exceedingly rare and several standard deviations from the peak of the curve. It could be multiple times as powerful. Morgase can touch the Source 1 in 1000 times, and she is the lowest rated channeler... Lanfear is functionally thousands of times from powerful.
Wheel of Time board admin
Fan of Lanfear
Fan of Lanfear
The Bell Curve revisited
29/10/2012 09:44:09 AM
- 1490 Views
Re: The Bell Curve revisited
29/10/2012 10:21:27 AM
- 885 Views
That's incorrect...
29/10/2012 10:26:49 AM
- 1452 Views
Re: That's incorrect...
29/10/2012 10:36:32 AM
- 893 Views
Re: That's incorrect...
29/10/2012 10:40:27 AM
- 738 Views
Re: That's incorrect...
29/10/2012 10:42:57 AM
- 737 Views
Hehe...There are a few disputing it vocally. Whether they're in their right mind, well...
29/10/2012 10:45:07 AM
- 823 Views
Re: Hehe...There are a few disputing it vocally. Whether they're in their right mind, well...
29/10/2012 10:49:49 AM
- 726 Views
Re: Hehe...There are a few disputing it vocally. Whether they're in their right mind, well...
29/10/2012 10:56:37 AM
- 802 Views
It's only as skewed as it seems when you make the assumption that the Forsaken
31/10/2012 04:34:11 AM
- 1023 Views
RJ the physicist didn't know math, so that Shannow could be right...
29/10/2012 02:11:19 PM
- 801 Views
Re: RJ the physicist didn't know math, so that Shannow could be right...
29/10/2012 02:37:33 PM
- 765 Views
there are dozens of reasons for this
29/10/2012 08:18:18 PM
- 782 Views
Re: there are dozens of reasons for this
29/10/2012 09:07:35 PM
- 712 Views
Again I don't argue that genetics play no role
30/10/2012 01:57:24 AM
- 691 Views
Once again just so,we are clear on my stance with Genetics and Strength
30/10/2012 03:27:11 PM
- 729 Views
That the 1000 Novices aren't a random sample of the population?
29/10/2012 08:23:47 PM
- 667 Views
And why would it be biased towards those with lower strength?
29/10/2012 09:11:25 PM
- 671 Views
Absolutely no reason...
30/10/2012 01:35:35 AM
- 770 Views
Re: Absolutely no reason...
30/10/2012 06:43:54 AM
- 668 Views
Only if it was a random sampling. Which this is not.
30/10/2012 01:58:34 PM
- 761 Views
That's exactly the point. I want you to explain why it wasn't random.
30/10/2012 02:14:59 PM
- 682 Views
It wasn't random because it was a self-selected sample!
30/10/2012 02:43:03 PM
- 698 Views
Re: It wasn't random because it was a self-selected sample!
30/10/2012 02:47:30 PM
- 698 Views
Go read a stats text will you?
30/10/2012 02:54:16 PM
- 692 Views
Done
31/10/2012 09:34:11 AM
- 1364 Views
You seem to have perfected whining to a Talent...
10/11/2012 10:14:19 PM
- 948 Views
Re: You seem to have perfected whining to a Talent...
11/11/2012 11:37:16 AM
- 723 Views
Seriously? I went and looked at some statistics books, and you won't even reply?
01/11/2012 12:13:49 PM
- 727 Views
Yes that totally makes sense
30/10/2012 08:07:16 AM
- 811 Views

That's not what happened...
30/10/2012 02:01:52 PM
- 737 Views
Doesn't mean RJ applied it to his series
30/10/2012 08:23:29 AM
- 776 Views
I hate to get into these things
29/10/2012 05:45:50 PM
- 840 Views
I would love for you to be right, because it would solve all our problems, but 0 is the challenge...
29/10/2012 07:56:34 PM
- 799 Views
In the truest sense, you are probably right that it is skewed
29/10/2012 08:20:52 PM
- 823 Views
Overwhelm Lanfear, not match her. *NM*
29/10/2012 08:26:09 PM
- 407 Views
Truth is, Moiraine was being overly optimistic...
29/10/2012 08:39:17 PM
- 746 Views
You're pathetic...
30/10/2012 01:20:01 AM
- 681 Views
The quote isn't specific
30/10/2012 08:32:36 AM
- 804 Views
Yet neither of them are at full potential and at least equal a Forsaken
30/10/2012 03:45:24 PM
- 1286 Views
Re: In the truest sense, you are probably right that it is skewed
29/10/2012 09:10:27 PM
- 739 Views
Lots of people mean perfectly normal distribution when they say it
30/10/2012 05:25:35 PM
- 681 Views
Couldn't the Towers method of obtaining Aes Sedai be to blame?
30/10/2012 12:04:01 AM
- 883 Views
Re: Couldn't the Towers method of obtaining Aes Sedai be to blame?
30/10/2012 09:33:44 AM
- 806 Views
Are you sure about that?
30/10/2012 12:03:43 PM
- 806 Views
Re: Are you sure about that?
30/10/2012 12:19:34 PM
- 712 Views
That doesn't seem a coherent narrative to me
30/10/2012 04:26:25 PM
- 1002 Views
Sharina did not have the Spark, nor did Nicola
30/10/2012 05:16:40 PM
- 817 Views
Re: Sharina did not have the Spark, nor did Nicola
30/10/2012 05:54:41 PM
- 702 Views
We do not know if Cadsuane or any of the Forsaken are Sparkers
30/10/2012 10:33:55 PM
- 827 Views
Re: We do not know if Cadsuane or any of the Forsaken are Sparkers
31/10/2012 12:30:52 AM
- 784 Views
A handful of examples are all we have and we have proof that an extremely strong Channeler
31/10/2012 02:58:57 AM
- 606 Views
you're confusing 2 things
30/10/2012 04:27:32 AM
- 878 Views
One thing
30/10/2012 05:23:17 PM
- 770 Views
That's the problem. The BC RJ has "built" has a minimum and a maximum value
30/10/2012 05:48:55 PM
- 792 Views