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When one have a single pen, that pen will disappear within a certain amount of time (let's call it d, for average disappearance time). It might fall on the floor, or disappear under something, or get swiped by a colleague. I assume that it's in some way proportional to the size of the room (s, for size), for there are more places for it to go in a larger room. When one has lost one's pen (which is a statistical near-certainty) it takes a certain amount of time to find it again (let's call that f, for average time to find it).
Okay so far?
When one has two pens, the same applies for each -- it will disappear on average after d amount of time. But when one comes to look for it one will find at least one of them within half of d. Thus, though one can only use one pen at a time, there is an obvious advantage to having two pens as it means one can find one more quickly.
My question is this: can someone do a study to establish what d, f and also n (the time it takes to reach out and take a pen without frustration setting in) are for a specific or average person, and then produce an equation so that for a given size of room (s) one can work out the pen saturation point, p: the number of pens required to ensure that one will always have a pen to hand when one wants one?
David
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At last, something useful for the scientists!
(I know I had a pen on my desk early on Thursday, but later the same day it was gone. I tried to accuse my colleagues, but they laughed at me and told me to get lost.)
There is a non-scientific solution to the problem.
1. Buy a box of cheap pens.
2. When back at work, throw them around, on random, making sure that there are pens in every corner.
3. Tell the cleaners to stay away.
[Updated on: Sun, 21 January 2007 20:27] |
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13800
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My attic has a black hole for screwdrivers. All I have to do is to put one down and it vanishes. Can we do the same for that scenario? I have never yet found one that has gone.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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I think there are a couple of variables you overlooked.
P...... the pay attention to what you are doung variable.
W...... the watch where you put things variable.
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13800
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How about the E variable, that stands for the quantity of exasperation when you turn around and the thing is gone?
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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That follows through to the P variable..... which is more than likely a constant rather than a variable.....
P..... ay attention to where you put things.
LOL
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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We've already got a small p -- using a capital P is rather confusing. However --
Marc said:
>I think there are a couple of variables you overlooked.
>P...... the pay attention to what you are doung variable.
>W...... the watch where you put things variable.
What are P and W measured in?
All the variables I measured have units of time (seconds) except for s, which is an area (square metres) and small p (a number of pens).
David
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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Deeej wrote:
>
> What are P and W measured in?
>
Brains....
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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jack
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Likes it here |
Location: England
Registered: September 2006
Messages: 304
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what you need to do is tie 20 pens around your neck in a chain formation,
they would be mounted on pull down springs, this way no one could remove a pen without causing you some injury.
I thought this was easier than spending too much time on the theory.
life is to enjoy.
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I forget: what's a brain in SI units, again?
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jack
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Likes it here |
Location: England
Registered: September 2006
Messages: 304
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mass density=kg/m3:-O
life is to enjoy.
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But the intelligence of a brain is not directly proportional to density ... unless you're talking about the colloquial meaning of the word 'dense', I guess. 
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jack
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Likes it here |
Location: England
Registered: September 2006
Messages: 304
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perhaps not but does have rather a dense mass of ergs in it!
i do assume we are talking electrical activity since it is a brain.
or are we talking about dense pens!:-/
life is to enjoy.
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I'm afraid you've lost me. Ergs?
David
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jack
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Likes it here |
Location: England
Registered: September 2006
Messages: 304
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just playing i know you know what an erg is.;-D
life is to enjoy.
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Deeej wrote:
> Has anyone else heard of it?
It was in common use when I did physics O-level in 1970: we were "taught" in SI units, but expected to know about ergs and other CGS stuff, also imperial stuff like foot-pounds ... and horsepower, come to that.
All of which slumbers gloriously unheeded and un-needed in the attics of my mind ...
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13800
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You were lucky. We were taught half in old units and half in what I suppose should be called "SI Unit" since there are no plurals. We had to convert to do our exams.
It was also great fun working out interest sums in pounds, shillings and pence. That sucked.
Car maintenance was more fun. The torque wrench settings became known for some reasin as foot-herberts instead of foot-pounds.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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I notice no young people have chimed in!
It's just occurred to me that I seem to be the only young regular poster on the board at the moment (by which I mean, literally in the last few days). That is interesting. I wonder if it can possibly be a seasonal thing? I know things tend to wax and wane, but I don't remember it being as quiet as this before.
David
[Updated on: Tue, 23 January 2007 22:05] |
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