Everyone today is below average. Because channelers are weaker today.
In other words, the Bell Curve would apply symmetrically to the channeling population of the Age of Legends. The remnants that are left today, on the other hand, mostly come from the bottom part of that Bell Curve.
In other words, the Bell Curve would apply symmetrically to the channeling population of the Age of Legends. The remnants that are left today, on the other hand, mostly come from the bottom part of that Bell Curve.
The defining property of a bell curve is that it shows the probability of finding a given value, as a function of the value, and that this probability distribution is shaped like a bell (hence the name), with the highest probability found at the average value.
I get that channelers are weaker in the Third Age, and are mostly found in the bottom half when using the same scale as during the Age of Legends. So while you can certainly use the same scale to discuss the strength of channelers in the Third Age and in the Age of Legends, it makes no sense to talk about the same bell curve, because the distribution of strengths are not the same.
We're saying exactly the same thing.
That a different distribution applied to the Age of Legends population as opposed to the Third Age population.
And I'm saying that the only way that RJ's "Bell Curve" description of channeler distribution can fit the facts as presented in the books, is if the Bell Curve he was referring to is the Age of Legends distribution, not the Third Age distribution.
Because, (to use the simplest possible example), on a Bell Curve the strongest possible channeler will be exactly twice the strength of the average channeler, and we know that it takes about 3 channelers of Moiraine's strength to match a Lanfear level channeler, therefore Moiraine cannot be higher than about 30 on the strength scale.
Hence the average strength channeler at 50 is almost twice as strong as Moiraine.
Clearly, therefore, all Aes Sedai weaker than Moiraine (which equates to about 99% of them) must fall under the lower part of the curve.
You cannot get away from that simple argument.
Hence the Bell Curve cannot apply to the modern day distribution of known channelers.
Ch2 : Pevara & Androl and channeling implications
24/10/2012 06:40:47 PM
- 2876 Views
Did Perva actually initiate the link or was it Androl? *NM*
24/10/2012 07:02:15 PM
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Androl did. *NM*
25/10/2012 05:10:31 AM
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But didn't Nynaeve do it first at the cleansing?
25/10/2012 12:43:15 PM
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Pevara was thinking on very sketchy information.
25/10/2012 08:56:20 PM
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Re: Ch2 : Pevara & Androl and channeling implications
25/10/2012 05:13:43 AM
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Travelling
25/10/2012 08:56:41 AM
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Yes that's a pet theory of mine
25/10/2012 04:21:53 PM
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Re: Yes that's a pet theory of mine
25/10/2012 06:12:21 PM
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Re: Yes that's a pet theory of mine
25/10/2012 08:50:15 PM
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Perhaps, but if no on in the AoL could do it when mixed circles were common
28/10/2012 04:22:20 PM
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How strong Pevara is...
25/10/2012 07:08:26 PM
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I'm pretty sure Moiraine is closer to 30...
25/10/2012 07:41:37 PM
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Agreed
25/10/2012 08:37:24 PM
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That was disproved long ago...
26/10/2012 01:36:24 AM
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But Moiraine isn't 'exceptionally strong'
26/10/2012 05:16:10 AM
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Not particularly strong evidence for that last.
26/10/2012 05:36:54 AM
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But we know that it takes significantly more strength to maintain multiple weaves
26/10/2012 08:14:58 AM
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The Bell Curve explained...
26/10/2012 10:27:34 AM
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Re: The Bell Curve explained...
26/10/2012 11:40:04 AM
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Re: The Bell Curve explained...
26/10/2012 12:32:01 PM
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Re: The Bell Curve explained...
26/10/2012 12:48:51 PM
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Re: The Bell Curve explained...
26/10/2012 01:07:39 PM
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Re: The Bell Curve explained...
26/10/2012 01:18:32 PM
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Yet Sharina, Nynaeve etc exist, thus the BC is the same
27/10/2012 09:39:58 PM
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The curve is OBVIOUSLY the same...
28/10/2012 01:50:37 AM
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Re: The curve is OBVIOUSLY the same...
28/10/2012 02:01:59 PM
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You need to go read RJ's quotes:
28/10/2012 02:41:49 PM
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Re: You need to go read RJ's quotes:
28/10/2012 05:39:12 PM
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I need to come and save you from blatant fallacies being spouted by the loonies.
28/10/2012 05:56:21 PM
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Re: I need to come and save you from blatant fallacies being spouted by the loonies.
28/10/2012 07:44:02 PM
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This is like watching a train-wreck.
29/10/2012 02:58:51 AM
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Re: This is like watching a train-wreck.
29/10/2012 01:10:35 PM
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So what's your conclusion?
29/10/2012 02:14:33 PM
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you do realize that is an impossible question to answer from the books right?
29/10/2012 07:50:02 PM
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Excellent points...
29/10/2012 02:16:39 PM
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Re: Excellent points...
29/10/2012 02:47:30 PM
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You seem confused.
29/10/2012 03:22:47 PM
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Re: You seem confused.
29/10/2012 03:41:48 PM
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I think the point is that the AS didn't go force every woman in the area
29/10/2012 07:57:59 PM
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Re: You seem confused.
29/10/2012 08:23:22 PM
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Re: You seem confused.
29/10/2012 08:57:11 PM
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He drew graphs!
30/10/2012 12:49:09 AM
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Re: Excellent points...
30/10/2012 12:20:00 AM
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Re: Excellent points...
30/10/2012 07:49:57 AM
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Re: You need to go read RJ's quotes:
29/10/2012 02:23:27 AM
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Re: You need to go read RJ's quotes:
29/10/2012 07:33:44 AM
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Huh?
29/10/2012 02:26:27 PM
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Re: Huh?
29/10/2012 02:42:07 PM
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You don't seem to know what random means...
29/10/2012 03:25:57 PM
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Re: You don't seem to know what random means...
29/10/2012 03:36:45 PM
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Personally I just think that 1000 women being allowed to tag along is a drop
29/10/2012 08:05:33 PM
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Re: Personally I just think that 1000 women being allowed to tag along is a drop
29/10/2012 09:04:02 PM
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Geography alone can do this
30/10/2012 12:39:53 AM
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Here's why its not random...
30/10/2012 01:04:18 AM
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Re: Here's why its not random...
30/10/2012 09:42:35 AM
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Re: Here's why its not random...
30/10/2012 01:51:03 PM
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Re: You don't seem to know what random means...
29/10/2012 08:22:40 PM
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Re: You don't seem to know what random means...
29/10/2012 09:06:08 PM
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Why must there be a mechanism?
30/10/2012 01:06:29 AM
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Re: Why must there be a mechanism?
30/10/2012 09:48:16 AM
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Nope...
30/10/2012 01:43:56 PM
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Re: Nope...
30/10/2012 02:34:51 PM
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Oh my...
30/10/2012 02:50:12 PM
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Thought experment time! Hurrah!
30/10/2012 03:27:01 PM
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But it is still possible in your example to get wildly varied results
30/10/2012 03:30:59 PM
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Re: But it is still possible in your example to get wildly varied results
30/10/2012 03:36:03 PM
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Re: Yet Sharina, Nynaeve etc exist, thus the BC is the same
28/10/2012 01:39:55 PM
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The point is there are still people being born in the highest strength categories
28/10/2012 04:18:55 PM
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Re: The point is there are still people being born in the highest strength categories
28/10/2012 05:21:44 PM
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The curve hasn't shifted!
28/10/2012 05:39:42 PM
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The fact is, Moiraine is not half as strong as Lanfear, hence she is below average strength.
28/10/2012 06:02:04 PM
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Re: The fact is, Moiraine is not half as strong as Lanfear, hence she is below average strength.
28/10/2012 07:27:26 PM
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There is not a single quote in the series that states Moiraine is less than half the strength
28/10/2012 10:31:28 PM
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How is this fact?
29/10/2012 02:59:49 AM
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Re: How is this fact?
29/10/2012 07:04:15 PM
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Explain Elza-Merise-Cadsuane then...
29/10/2012 08:20:14 PM
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Re: Explain Elza-Merise-Cadsuane then...
29/10/2012 08:38:11 PM
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Are you blind man?
30/10/2012 01:12:26 AM
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Re: The curve hasn't shifted!
28/10/2012 07:36:36 PM
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Well the most obvious thing is that RJ was quoted on the subject any number of times
28/10/2012 11:34:18 PM
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On Raw strength scores I think you are pretty inline with my thinking
27/10/2012 09:37:25 PM
- 1106 Views