Professors React to 2048 - Numberphile
video description
I think Brady's reaction speaks to me - he's almost shocked that none of these folks have latched on to the potential.
If you're a numberphile person and want to see a mathy take on this, I just came from Code Bullet's video where he tries to create an AI to solve it. In the process of working on it he explains how he comes up with a strategy for the computer to solve it, and it helped scratch the itch I had for an academic take on this game.
Date: 2022-04-08
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Comments and reviews: 9
marcoscolga24
-Expertise includes electrons, electric fields, quantum dots & graphene-
-Expertise includes nanoscience and single atom/molecule manipulation-
-Award-winning chemistry researcher & Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society-
-Expert on inflation, cosmic strings & the early Universe-
-visible struggle-
In all seriousness though, I love that these legends in their field have taken the time to given this a shot. This all just goes to show that no matter well-established you are, there is always something fundamental but new you can discover and master.
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-Expertise includes electrons, electric fields, quantum dots & graphene-
-Expertise includes nanoscience and single atom/molecule manipulation-
-Award-winning chemistry researcher & Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society-
-Expert on inflation, cosmic strings & the early Universe-
-visible struggle-
In all seriousness though, I love that these legends in their field have taken the time to given this a shot. This all just goes to show that no matter well-established you are, there is always something fundamental but new you can discover and master.
reply
universumpi
4: 30 -but that's something I'm familiar with- ohhh so afraid of getting out of comfort zone, I bet you are one of those professors who often say -that's really not my field of expertise- when asked a challenging question. professors worked years to climb the ladder of academia and learn things that almost nobody else knows, but intellectually they are just people like everyone else. No wonder they dislike a challenge in which their title + knowledge gives no advantage.
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4: 30 -but that's something I'm familiar with- ohhh so afraid of getting out of comfort zone, I bet you are one of those professors who often say -that's really not my field of expertise- when asked a challenging question. professors worked years to climb the ladder of academia and learn things that almost nobody else knows, but intellectually they are just people like everyone else. No wonder they dislike a challenge in which their title + knowledge gives no advantage.
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coldnate
They're all doing it wrong. Pick a direction, and never ever ever ever use that one. Also, have a strong preference for just 2 directions, and only use the 3rd direction if needed. For example, use down and right almost exclusively, and only go left if you need to because you're out of moves. When you fill up the bottom row, work on the left side until you can stack back to the bottom right again. NEVER GO UP.
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They're all doing it wrong. Pick a direction, and never ever ever ever use that one. Also, have a strong preference for just 2 directions, and only use the 3rd direction if needed. For example, use down and right almost exclusively, and only go left if you need to because you're out of moves. When you fill up the bottom row, work on the left side until you can stack back to the bottom right again. NEVER GO UP.
reply
Matthew
Tried it after watching this and got 2324 which feels pretty small. It felt optimal to drive the largest number to the corner and follow it along a wall with the next largest. But some circumstances cause you to change your design and you have to be flexible to shift from one wall or corner to another. Strategy is nice but there is a high factor of chance that frustrates strategy. Fun game for 10 minutes.
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Tried it after watching this and got 2324 which feels pretty small. It felt optimal to drive the largest number to the corner and follow it along a wall with the next largest. But some circumstances cause you to change your design and you have to be flexible to shift from one wall or corner to another. Strategy is nice but there is a high factor of chance that frustrates strategy. Fun game for 10 minutes.
reply
Natalia
What an interesting video. I'm a fan of 2048, but I understand how these people are so engrossed in their study that anything outside of it can be boring. That, to me, is both sad and admirable. Ironically, I am starting to exhibit the same behavior because my studies are so wonderful and consuming. A couple of the gentlemen are open-minded to it, and I think that's the best way to be.
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What an interesting video. I'm a fan of 2048, but I understand how these people are so engrossed in their study that anything outside of it can be boring. That, to me, is both sad and admirable. Ironically, I am starting to exhibit the same behavior because my studies are so wonderful and consuming. A couple of the gentlemen are open-minded to it, and I think that's the best way to be.
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Wj11jam
There seems to be two different personalities here:
Those who think about their work, and mindlessly absorb their media
Those who mindlessly do their work, and think about their media
I tend to fall into the second category. Which is why I feel more suited towards a profession in media than in mathematics, medicine or anything like that.
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There seems to be two different personalities here:
Those who think about their work, and mindlessly absorb their media
Those who mindlessly do their work, and think about their media
I tend to fall into the second category. Which is why I feel more suited towards a profession in media than in mathematics, medicine or anything like that.
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Luiz
If this was computerphile I bet at least one of them would talk about how solving this game is an example of O(n) process. Think about it. To make 1024 requires some work. To get to the double of that you need more or less the same work TWICE so you can join two 1024 blocks. So it is about linear with the final score you are looking at.
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If this was computerphile I bet at least one of them would talk about how solving this game is an example of O(n) process. Think about it. To make 1024 requires some work. To get to the double of that you need more or less the same work TWICE so you can join two 1024 blocks. So it is about linear with the final score you are looking at.
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Work
You can't give a professor a children's maths game involving powers of two and expect them to be engaged just for the fact that it is mathematics
It is like giving a classical musician a plastic, toy xylophone for children under 3 years old and expecting them to enjoy themselves
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You can't give a professor a children's maths game involving powers of two and expect them to be engaged just for the fact that it is mathematics
It is like giving a classical musician a plastic, toy xylophone for children under 3 years old and expecting them to enjoy themselves
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Johan
Most of the comments here just bought the idea that the game is silly and you should do something more productive. I think these guys just have 0 tolerance to frustration and can't bear be seen losing in a -silly- game, instead of trying to come up with a winning strategy.
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Most of the comments here just bought the idea that the game is silly and you should do something more productive. I think these guys just have 0 tolerance to frustration and can't bear be seen losing in a -silly- game, instead of trying to come up with a winning strategy.
reply
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