Brilliant Problem Contest

Logic Level 1

	$\quad \ \ \ \ \ \ \color{#3D99F6}{\textbf{You}}$	$\quad \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \color{#D61F06}{\textbf{Friend}}$
Saturday	$\frac{7\text{ correct}}{8\text{ attempts}} = \color{#3D99F6}{\mathbf{87.5\%}}$	$\ \ \ \ \frac{2\text{ correct}}{2\text{ attempts}} = \color{#D61F06}{\mathbf{100\%}}$
Sunday	$\frac{1\text{ correct}}{2\text{ attempts}} = \color{#3D99F6}{\mathbf{50\%}}$	$\ \ \ \ \frac{5\text{ correct}}{8\text{ attempts}} = \color{#D61F06}{\mathbf{62.5\%}}$

You and a friend want to see who can solve a higher percentage of problems correctly over the entire weekend. Who wins?

You Your Friend

2 solutions

Clara Blackstone
Oct 6, 2015

In fact, despite your friend solving a higher percentage correctly on both Saturday and Sunday, you win overall. This possibility is referred to as Simpson's Paradox !

Simpson's Paradox is actually the falsification of statistics in groups to show a higher percentage for something that, overall, is lower than other groups when compared together.

Timothy Vu - 5 years, 8 months ago

Might seem dumb but, no lcm?

Ali Abbas Thakkar - 5 years, 8 months ago

Steven Murphy
Oct 7, 2015

You are 8/10 your friend was only 7/10.

Brilliant Problem Contest

2 solutions

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