A reason for this question was also partly boredom. But when I'm bored, I tend to get my brain really busy, instead of opening threads like 'Boredom, asl, or something completely different'.
So, the question is, as I said in the first post, hypothetical. There's not really a Chairman of the PD who would grant amnesty to people in such a way. And my question is not a real question either, as I do already know the answer to it.
And you won't get a grand prize for finding the answer, and, more important, the reason why the answer is correct.
The main reason was, that I was curious how many people would actually try to solve the problem. And how many would immediately turn around and flee. And I was also curious about who would ask questions like 'What is the point of this?'.
In the past, when staff positions had been opened, I've read a few times in applications, that people thought, that they could tackle any problem. One of them, some might recognize him, was even absolutely sure, that he would be brilliant in several disciplines, including maths. We should just give him a problem, and he would solve it.
He wasn't ever seriously considered for a position in staff, because he didn't fit in for other reasons, but I always wondered how he would have performed on a real problem.
And yesterday, I got reminded of that, because I testified someone else saying that his programming skills were for the birds, while his math skills were absolutely fabulous.
This made me think, that I could try a little experiment. Instead of reading in the next applicatíons about awesome maths and programming skills, and then wondering if those specs were true or exaggerated, I could pose a simple puzzle, that would surely find the interest of anybody remotely interested in maths. If anyone could even solve it, that would be much better.
David came closest to someone who I would consider capable to tackle a given problem. (Always only judging from this short-term experiment.) He basically found the solution. The answer is much easier than his answer, but he has discovered the main idea behind the puzzle. He's the king.
Rob at least tried to give an answer, even if it was wrong. It might also have been a joke, but it could have led to finding a solution.
Solfius asked why. That's still 'better' (Only related to this experiment, it doesn't really say much.) than not caring at all, but it indicates that he's not much of a maths person. A maths person sees a puzzle and solves it. Or proves that there's no solution to the problem.
Why vanishes for that period from their vocabulary.
That was the long answer to the Why-question. Sorry for experimenting with you.
