Brandon even told me at signing (well, rather the guy beside me who had asked him that) he'd seen the graphs RJ made in the notes...
This is very interesting. I wish this would make it into the interview database at TL so that those doubting the bell curve can give it a rest.
RJ obviously used this as a tool to loosely distribute larger groups of characters.
There probably is an higher percentage of rarer strengths on both sides among WO and WF, simply because the ability is more common among them (they've not culled out the female gene pool among sparkers the way AS have done, and both group marry and have children).
For the rest, all evidence points to strength coming exclusively from the soul (what happened to Lanfear, discrediting the hypothesis it was a body issue ought to put that debate to rest. There's no oddity with Rand, nor with any of the transmigrated Forsaken who all have their exact old strength), so the bell curve would be very close to the AOL's, but in practice I'm guessing it would be very different as the percentage of women whose ability is found is incredibly low (tens of thousand aren't found in the Westlands alone), and the ability is less present in various groups because of culling. I suck at statistics, but my feeling is that the sample among AS at least is probably so small in comparison to Westlands women with the ability, that how the women get found is so random (relying massively on women deciding to go being tested... and they have such a small window of opportunity to make that decision...) there would be tons of aberrations, for e.g. for a few hundreds years, on a sample of only 1000 women, very few subjects with the rare strengths might show up at all.
There probably is an higher percentage of rarer strengths on both sides among WO and WF, simply because the ability is more common among them (they've not culled out the female gene pool among sparkers the way AS have done, and both group marry and have children).
For the rest, all evidence points to strength coming exclusively from the soul (what happened to Lanfear, discrediting the hypothesis it was a body issue ought to put that debate to rest. There's no oddity with Rand, nor with any of the transmigrated Forsaken who all have their exact old strength), so the bell curve would be very close to the AOL's, but in practice I'm guessing it would be very different as the percentage of women whose ability is found is incredibly low (tens of thousand aren't found in the Westlands alone), and the ability is less present in various groups because of culling. I suck at statistics, but my feeling is that the sample among AS at least is probably so small in comparison to Westlands women with the ability, that how the women get found is so random (relying massively on women deciding to go being tested... and they have such a small window of opportunity to make that decision...) there would be tons of aberrations, for e.g. for a few hundreds years, on a sample of only 1000 women, very few subjects with the rare strengths might show up at all.
You're very correct that the numbers among the Aes Sedai are skewed. They're a terrible sample set. RJ even proved it right out: among the 1000 novices they found, Egwene says only 200 were strong enough to be AS. But RJ said 62.5% of the population should be strong enough to be AS. That we don't see this statistic pan out is proof that "wanting to be AS" is a sample set that is not very representative of "can be AS".
Agree with your other points too.
Ch2 : Pevara & Androl and channeling implications
- 24/10/2012 06:40:47 PM
3073 Views
Did Perva actually initiate the link or was it Androl? *NM*
- 24/10/2012 07:02:15 PM
841 Views
Androl did. *NM*
- 25/10/2012 05:10:31 AM
1052 Views
But didn't Nynaeve do it first at the cleansing?
- 25/10/2012 12:43:15 PM
1342 Views
Pevara was thinking on very sketchy information.
- 25/10/2012 08:56:20 PM
1374 Views
Re: Ch2 : Pevara & Androl and channeling implications
- 25/10/2012 05:13:43 AM
1553 Views
Travelling
- 25/10/2012 08:56:41 AM
1332 Views
Yes that's a pet theory of mine
- 25/10/2012 04:21:53 PM
1341 Views
Re: Yes that's a pet theory of mine
- 25/10/2012 06:12:21 PM
1317 Views
Re: Yes that's a pet theory of mine
- 25/10/2012 08:50:15 PM
1192 Views
Perhaps, but if no on in the AoL could do it when mixed circles were common
- 28/10/2012 04:22:20 PM
1108 Views
How strong Pevara is...
- 25/10/2012 07:08:26 PM
1464 Views
I'm pretty sure Moiraine is closer to 30...
- 25/10/2012 07:41:37 PM
1117 Views
Agreed
- 25/10/2012 08:37:24 PM
1256 Views
That was disproved long ago...
- 26/10/2012 01:36:24 AM
1261 Views
But Moiraine isn't 'exceptionally strong'
- 26/10/2012 05:16:10 AM
1264 Views
Not particularly strong evidence for that last.
- 26/10/2012 05:36:54 AM
1273 Views
But we know that it takes significantly more strength to maintain multiple weaves
- 26/10/2012 08:14:58 AM
1199 Views
The Bell Curve explained...
- 26/10/2012 10:27:34 AM
1198 Views
Re: The Bell Curve explained...
- 26/10/2012 11:40:04 AM
1182 Views
Re: The Bell Curve explained...
- 26/10/2012 12:32:01 PM
1100 Views
Re: The Bell Curve explained...
- 26/10/2012 12:48:51 PM
1243 Views
Re: The Bell Curve explained...
- 26/10/2012 01:07:39 PM
1209 Views
Re: The Bell Curve explained...
- 26/10/2012 01:18:32 PM
1318 Views
Yet Sharina, Nynaeve etc exist, thus the BC is the same
- 27/10/2012 09:39:58 PM
1387 Views
The curve is OBVIOUSLY the same...
- 28/10/2012 01:50:37 AM
1050 Views
Re: The curve is OBVIOUSLY the same...
- 28/10/2012 02:01:59 PM
1133 Views
You need to go read RJ's quotes:
- 28/10/2012 02:41:49 PM
1228 Views
Re: You need to go read RJ's quotes:
- 28/10/2012 05:39:12 PM
1067 Views
I need to come and save you from blatant fallacies being spouted by the loonies.
- 28/10/2012 05:56:21 PM
1073 Views
Re: I need to come and save you from blatant fallacies being spouted by the loonies.
- 28/10/2012 07:44:02 PM
1180 Views
This is like watching a train-wreck.
- 29/10/2012 02:58:51 AM
1062 Views
Re: This is like watching a train-wreck.
- 29/10/2012 01:10:35 PM
1269 Views
So what's your conclusion?
- 29/10/2012 02:14:33 PM
1048 Views
you do realize that is an impossible question to answer from the books right?
- 29/10/2012 07:50:02 PM
1203 Views
Excellent points...
- 29/10/2012 02:16:39 PM
1029 Views
Re: Excellent points...
- 29/10/2012 02:47:30 PM
1217 Views
You seem confused.
- 29/10/2012 03:22:47 PM
1020 Views
Re: You seem confused.
- 29/10/2012 03:41:48 PM
1058 Views
I think the point is that the AS didn't go force every woman in the area
- 29/10/2012 07:57:59 PM
1011 Views
Re: You seem confused.
- 29/10/2012 08:23:22 PM
1226 Views
Re: You seem confused.
- 29/10/2012 08:57:11 PM
1162 Views
He drew graphs!
- 30/10/2012 12:49:09 AM
1063 Views
He drew graphs!
- 30/10/2012 12:49:09 AM
1063 Views
Re: Excellent points...
- 30/10/2012 12:20:00 AM
1121 Views
Re: Excellent points...
- 30/10/2012 07:49:57 AM
1100 Views
Re: You need to go read RJ's quotes:
- 29/10/2012 02:23:27 AM
1072 Views
Re: You need to go read RJ's quotes:
- 29/10/2012 07:33:44 AM
1082 Views
Huh?
- 29/10/2012 02:26:27 PM
1132 Views
Re: Huh?
- 29/10/2012 02:42:07 PM
1039 Views
You don't seem to know what random means...
- 29/10/2012 03:25:57 PM
1075 Views
Re: You don't seem to know what random means...
- 29/10/2012 03:36:45 PM
1079 Views
Personally I just think that 1000 women being allowed to tag along is a drop
- 29/10/2012 08:05:33 PM
1149 Views
Re: Personally I just think that 1000 women being allowed to tag along is a drop
- 29/10/2012 09:04:02 PM
1178 Views
Geography alone can do this
- 30/10/2012 12:39:53 AM
1067 Views
Here's why its not random...
- 30/10/2012 01:04:18 AM
1041 Views
Re: Here's why its not random...
- 30/10/2012 09:42:35 AM
1229 Views
Re: Here's why its not random...
- 30/10/2012 01:51:03 PM
1032 Views
Re: You don't seem to know what random means...
- 29/10/2012 08:22:40 PM
1003 Views
Re: You don't seem to know what random means...
- 29/10/2012 09:06:08 PM
1121 Views
Why must there be a mechanism?
- 30/10/2012 01:06:29 AM
1039 Views
Re: Why must there be a mechanism?
- 30/10/2012 09:48:16 AM
1029 Views
Nope...
- 30/10/2012 01:43:56 PM
1198 Views
Re: Nope...
- 30/10/2012 02:34:51 PM
1049 Views
Oh my...
- 30/10/2012 02:50:12 PM
1085 Views
Thought experment time! Hurrah!
- 30/10/2012 03:27:01 PM
1041 Views
But it is still possible in your example to get wildly varied results
- 30/10/2012 03:30:59 PM
986 Views
Re: But it is still possible in your example to get wildly varied results
- 30/10/2012 03:36:03 PM
1062 Views
Re: Yet Sharina, Nynaeve etc exist, thus the BC is the same
- 28/10/2012 01:39:55 PM
1079 Views
The point is there are still people being born in the highest strength categories
- 28/10/2012 04:18:55 PM
1124 Views
Re: The point is there are still people being born in the highest strength categories
- 28/10/2012 05:21:44 PM
1060 Views
The curve hasn't shifted!
- 28/10/2012 05:39:42 PM
1209 Views
The fact is, Moiraine is not half as strong as Lanfear, hence she is below average strength.
- 28/10/2012 06:02:04 PM
1103 Views
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
1057 Views
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
1112 Views
How is this fact?
- 29/10/2012 02:59:49 AM
1181 Views
Re: How is this fact?
- 29/10/2012 07:04:15 PM
1088 Views
Explain Elza-Merise-Cadsuane then...
- 29/10/2012 08:20:14 PM
1071 Views
Re: Explain Elza-Merise-Cadsuane then...
- 29/10/2012 08:38:11 PM
1171 Views
Are you blind man?
- 30/10/2012 01:12:26 AM
1089 Views
Re: The curve hasn't shifted!
- 28/10/2012 07:36:36 PM
1080 Views
Well the most obvious thing is that RJ was quoted on the subject any number of times
- 28/10/2012 11:34:18 PM
1143 Views
On Raw strength scores I think you are pretty inline with my thinking
- 27/10/2012 09:37:25 PM
1203 Views
