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I would love for you to be right, because it would solve all our problems, but 0 is the challenge... Shannow Send a noteboard - 29/10/2012 07:56:34 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.


I like what you're saying, and have considered it before as a potential solution, but my problem is that you don't get negative strength in the One Power. Hence, if 1 is the mean, as in your example, and if 4.1 is the standard deviation, how do you get to 1 standard deviation below the mean? Not to mention 2 or 3 standard deviations below the mean?

Because you almost immediately hit zero strength in the Power.

Hence my view that if it's a true Bell Curve, then the lower end of the distribution can not approach zero, since we are talking about the channeler population here, not the total human population. And even the weakest channeler (which is Morgase) has a strength greater than zero.
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The Bell Curve revisited Shannow - 29/10/2012 09:44:09 AM 1786 Views
Re: The Bell Curve revisited Tor - 29/10/2012 10:21:27 AM 1138 Views
That's incorrect... Shannow - 29/10/2012 10:26:49 AM 1711 Views
Re: That's incorrect... Tor - 29/10/2012 10:36:32 AM 1108 Views
Re: That's incorrect... Shannow - 29/10/2012 10:40:27 AM 957 Views
Re: That's incorrect... Tor - 29/10/2012 10:42:57 AM 942 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 1061 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 935 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 1031 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 1284 Views
RJ the physicist didn't know math, so that Shannow could be right... fionwe1987 - 29/10/2012 02:11:19 PM 1051 Views
Response to a few of your poorly researched points... Shannow - 29/10/2012 02:31:17 PM 995 Views
Re: RJ the physicist didn't know math, so that Shannow could be right... Tor - 29/10/2012 02:37:33 PM 979 Views
Exactly... Shannow - 29/10/2012 02:39:30 PM 976 Views
there are dozens of reasons for this darius_sedai - 29/10/2012 08:18:18 PM 1001 Views
Excellent point. fionwe1987 - 29/10/2012 08:24:37 PM 1039 Views
Re: there are dozens of reasons for this Tor - 29/10/2012 09:07:35 PM 949 Views
Again I don't argue that genetics play no role darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 01:57:24 AM 936 Views
Re: Again I don't argue that genetics play no role Tor - 30/10/2012 07:07:17 AM 937 Views
I don't think it plays much role in the plot darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 03:17:55 PM 1119 Views
Once again just so,we are clear on my stance with Genetics and Strength darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 03:27:11 PM 934 Views
That the 1000 Novices aren't a random sample of the population? fionwe1987 - 29/10/2012 08:23:47 PM 880 Views
And why would it be biased towards those with lower strength? Tor - 29/10/2012 09:11:25 PM 902 Views
Absolutely no reason... fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 01:35:35 AM 986 Views
Re: Absolutely no reason... Tor - 30/10/2012 06:43:54 AM 906 Views
Only if it was a random sampling. Which this is not. fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 01:58:34 PM 995 Views
That's exactly the point. I want you to explain why it wasn't random. Tor - 30/10/2012 02:14:59 PM 918 Views
It wasn't random because it was a self-selected sample! fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 02:43:03 PM 921 Views
Re: It wasn't random because it was a self-selected sample! Tor - 30/10/2012 02:47:30 PM 911 Views
Go read a stats text will you? fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 02:54:16 PM 899 Views
Done Tor - 31/10/2012 09:34:11 AM 1699 Views
You seem to have perfected whining to a Talent... fionwe1987 - 10/11/2012 10:14:19 PM 1210 Views
Re: You seem to have perfected whining to a Talent... Tor - 11/11/2012 11:37:16 AM 1026 Views
Re: You seem to have perfected whining to a Talent... fionwe1987 - 11/11/2012 07:14:48 PM 872 Views
Re: You seem to have perfected whining to a Talent... Tor - 11/11/2012 08:33:59 PM 1690 Views
Re: You seem to have perfected whining to a Talent... Tor - 11/11/2012 08:43:19 PM 1272 Views
Seriously? I went and looked at some statistics books, and you won't even reply? Tor - 01/11/2012 12:13:49 PM 1015 Views
Still nothing? Tor - 10/11/2012 03:33:15 PM 1043 Views
Still doesn't explain the difference Praziquantel - 30/10/2012 07:01:53 PM 849 Views
Re: Still doesn't explain the difference fionwe1987 - 10/11/2012 10:21:00 PM 944 Views
Yes that totally makes sense Sidious - 30/10/2012 08:07:16 AM 1025 Views
Thank you! *NM* Tor - 30/10/2012 10:19:15 AM 488 Views
That's not what happened... fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 02:01:52 PM 999 Views
Re: That's not what happened... Tor - 30/10/2012 02:15:57 PM 910 Views
Who said it would? fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 02:44:17 PM 929 Views
let's not mix up "random" and "representative" darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 05:28:09 PM 983 Views
Doesn't mean RJ applied it to his series Sidious - 30/10/2012 08:23:29 AM 1008 Views
But of course he did.. fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 02:13:07 PM 1057 Views
I hate to get into these things HousealThor - 29/10/2012 05:45:50 PM 1081 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 1069 Views
In the truest sense, you are probably right that it is skewed HousealThor - 29/10/2012 08:20:52 PM 1059 Views
Overwhelm Lanfear, not match her. *NM* fionwe1987 - 29/10/2012 08:26:09 PM 554 Views
Truth is, Moiraine was being overly optimistic... Shannow - 29/10/2012 08:39:17 PM 980 Views
You're pathetic... fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 01:20:01 AM 902 Views
The quote isn't specific Sidious - 30/10/2012 08:32:36 AM 1012 Views
Its highly specific... fionwe1987 - 30/10/2012 02:15:38 PM 856 Views
Yet neither of them are at full potential and at least equal a Forsaken darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 03:45:24 PM 1522 Views
Honestly! darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 02:07:37 AM 960 Views
Re: In the truest sense, you are probably right that it is skewed Tor - 29/10/2012 09:10:27 PM 976 Views
Lots of people mean perfectly normal distribution when they say it HousealThor - 30/10/2012 05:25:35 PM 914 Views
Couldn't the Towers method of obtaining Aes Sedai be to blame? TheCrownless - 30/10/2012 12:04:01 AM 1115 Views
Re: Couldn't the Towers method of obtaining Aes Sedai be to blame? Tor - 30/10/2012 09:33:44 AM 1039 Views
Are you sure about that? TheCrownless - 30/10/2012 12:03:43 PM 1036 Views
Re: Are you sure about that? Tor - 30/10/2012 12:19:34 PM 936 Views
That doesn't seem a coherent narrative to me TheCrownless - 30/10/2012 04:26:25 PM 1281 Views
Sharina did not have the Spark, nor did Nicola darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 05:16:40 PM 1052 Views
Re: Sharina did not have the Spark, nor did Nicola TheCrownless - 30/10/2012 05:54:41 PM 922 Views
We do not know if Cadsuane or any of the Forsaken are Sparkers darius_sedai - 30/10/2012 10:33:55 PM 1085 Views
Re: We do not know if Cadsuane or any of the Forsaken are Sparkers TheCrownless - 31/10/2012 12:30:52 AM 1028 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 903 Views
you're confusing 2 things Zaphod - 30/10/2012 04:27:32 AM 1210 Views
+1 *NM* Sidious - 30/10/2012 09:17:07 AM 1082 Views
Re: you're confusing 2 things Simon - 30/10/2012 09:21:39 AM 1066 Views
Not true... Shannow - 30/10/2012 11:49:57 AM 1033 Views
One thing HousealThor - 30/10/2012 05:23:17 PM 1009 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 1025 Views
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