Here's a puzzle for you

[EternalOptimist]

I can't be arsed reading 16 pages posts.

What was the answer?

the answer was ...'oh I forgot to mention.......'

[suityou01]

Er, no I didn't. I said that





and





I thought I already had....



Do you see how little resemblance this bears to the point you were actually trying to make?

No. I really want you to show me how to turn my argument into mathematical symbols.

What I wrote looks right to me. When I expanded on it with some SQL you agreed with it.

[suityou01]

the answer was ...'oh I forgot to mention.......'

Name one piece of information given from puzzle 2 that was not mentioned right at the start, which was a vital piece of information that prevented the solution being found?

1 single bit. Just 1 mind.

[mudskipper]

Name one piece of information given from puzzle 2 that was not mentioned right at the start, which was a vital piece of information that prevented the solution being found?

1 single bit. Just 1 mind.

Aw, go on then...

Mr Pot, theres a Mr Kettle in reception for you and he says you are of a darkened hue.

OK here you go.

These exam papers are scanned and automarked. Attendance information follows at some point in the proceedings, but it could be before, during or after scanning. It is hand tapped into the system. There is no time or budget to do this differently.

Once the papers are automarked, the marks are then stored in the database. Centres may miss papers and not scan them, or they won't scan them if the candidate was absent.

How can we identify which ones were not scanned versus those that were absent without the attendance information so we can quickly chase the bureaus to find the missing papers and scan them?

The bit of information that is not here is that each paper is pre-allocated to an individual candidate. The normal assumption would be that all papers were identical. You also stated that the centre won't scan papers if the candidate is absent. Perhaps you meant don't, because if they won't then your solution is a non-starter.

[EternalOptimist]

Name one piece of information given from puzzle 2 that was not mentioned right at the start, which was a vital piece of information that prevented the solution being found?

1 single bit. Just 1 mind.

can a bit not be single ?


look, you're at it again

[doodab]

No. I really want you to show me how to turn my argument into mathematical symbols.

I don't think you can, or at least there isn't any point in trying.

What I wrote looks right to me.

It probably did, because you know what you meant.

When I expanded on it with some SQL you agreed with it.

You've rather answered your own question then haven't you. Perhaps suity shorthand pseudo maths isn't an appropriate form in which to communicate such arguments?

[suityou01]

I don't think you can, or at least there isn't any point in trying.



It probably did, because you know what you meant.



You've rather answered your own question then haven't you. Perhaps suity shorthand pseudo maths isn't an appropriate form in which to communicate such arguments?

Maybe.

It seems obvious to me. It still does. Let me ponder that one.

[suityou01]

Aw, go on then...




The bit of information that is not here is that each paper is pre-allocated to an individual candidate. The normal assumption would be that all papers were identical. You also stated that the centre won't scan papers if the candidate is absent. Perhaps you meant don't, because if they won't then your solution is a non-starter.

OK. Thank you. Again this is where to me it seems obvious. Not being a tit, just saying. If the paper is scanned, and automarked, and the marks loaded into the database against the candidate record, then to me it's obvious the form is marked in such a way that the computer can recognise and hence update the appropriate record.

As for won't vs don't, seems a tad picky. You are right of course in the letter of the law, but you are the first person to mention this several hours after the "answer" was delivered so if it was that big a deal I would have expected it to come out sooner.

[Bunk]

Aw, go on then...




The bit of information that is not here is that each paper is pre-allocated to an individual candidate. The normal assumption would be that all papers were identical. You also stated that the centre won't scan papers if the candidate is absent. Perhaps you meant don't, because if they won't then your solution is a non-starter.

Like I said, he might not have given us incorrect information but he definitely steered us away from the answer with his constraints.

[suityou01]

Like I said, he might not have given us incorrect information but he definitely steered us away from the answer with his constraints.

I still don't see that. If the papers were identical, and there was no way the computer could determine who the marks were for, how could they be stored in the database as anything other than orphan records?

Is there any piece of information that was missing that actually holds water?