Geeks rule: Study on rock-paper-scissors honored “Best of 2014” by MIT Many of us grew up playing #rockpaperscissors, but few of us have wondered if there were secret tricks behind the game. A #study by Chinese researchers on how to win the classic game was recently recognized by #MIT Technology Review as one of its “Best of 2014”, showing many a new angle to their #childhood memories. According to the study co-conducted by #researchers from Zhejiang University and Chinese Academy of Sciences, the key to winning the game is to stick with the same choice, while those who lose tend to switch actions in a clockwise direction (rock → paper → scissors). Moreover, if you insist on drawing a tie, it is better to show your move in a counterclockwise order (rock → scissors → paper), suggested by the report. Started 4 years ago, the researchers recruited 360 students from Zhejiang University, divided them into 60 groups of 6 players, and asked players to play 300 rounds of rock-paper-scissors against each other within the group. The researchers came up with their conclusions after a series of calculations based on the collected data, and posted the report in April 2014 on MIT Technology Review, a well-known journal that leads the global tech and science industry. The recognition of the study has stirred up interest with Chinese netizens. Though some people mocked the study as “a waste of time”, most people are in favor of the researchers’ efforts: @zhuiyemomo: “When Chen Jingrun studied the problem of ‘1+2’, he also received objections from many people, but at last it proved to be a milestone in the study of Goldbach’s conjecture. We just can’t criticize things we are not familiar with.” @Litaigong: “While the westerners started to study the stars and the universe centuries ago, I believe some Chinese also thought they were “wasting their time”, only if they could wait and see today.” @Sunriselee: “Perhaps many people have been hit by an apple, but few of them have considered why the apple can fall.” Finally, if you are interested in challenging the researchers’ study, click here for the full report: arxiv.org/pdf/1404.5199v1.pdf
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 15:33:00 +0000
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