Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming (2018)

byorgey.wordpress.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

1–10 of 10 posts

Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming (2018)

#3

Post by lelanthran »

Sounds like a great game; I have "games" during my 6yo's bathtime. These games have now evolved to multiplying numbers by four (or three, two), subtraction and addition of 2-digit numbers, etc. Also a few word games (Rhymes, etc)

Since it's in the bath, no paper and pencils are used, but it's good fun for him.

Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming (2018)

#5

Post by munchler »

As a kid, I liked arithmetic function machines that "magically" force a particular output or allow one to quickly deduce the input from the output. These are usually based on non-obvious (to a kid) identities. I would invent my own and then ask family members to play along. I'm not sure if this sort of puzzle game has a name?

A simple example:

- Multiply your number by 2

- Add 10

- Divide by 2

- Subtract the original number

Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming (2018)

#6

Post by internet_points »

We play another hypothesis testing game in our family where one player invents a secret rule and gives a single example of a thing that's acceptable. Then the others have to guess other things that might also be acceptable, and the inventor answers yes no. So the inventor starts off with for example

    - Roquefort.
and then the q&a follows

    - Gouda? 
    - no
    - Milk? 
    - no
    - a Nac Mac Feegle? 
    - yes!
    - oh maybe it's everything blue, my backpack! 
    - no
    - the whole universe
    - since that includes gouda, no
    - a cat
    - which cat?
    - greebo
    - then yes
    - it must be something smelly!
    - Yes, that was quick!
It's a bit like Zendo[0], but with .. anything. Could be "words rhyming with -ing" or "flat stuff" etc. etc. Rules have to be fairly simple to be guessable since it's so open, but I did once manage to guess my kid's rule of "things that don't fit into any of the categories made in any of today's rounds of this game".

Some rules can lead to interesting (heated) arguments, which is always entertaining. One thing that could be better is we don't really have a good system for when you can guess a rule vs just giving exemplars, it can get a bit boring if people just guess rules, but OTOH you don't get too far that way since you can't get a "yes" from any other rule than the right one.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zendo_(game)

Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming (2018)

#7

Post by Traubenfuchs »

internet_points wrote: post #6

We play another hypothesis testing game in our family where one player invents a secret rule and gives a single example of a thing that's acceptable. Then the others have to guess other things that might also be acceptable, and the inventor answers yes no. So the inventor starts off with for example - Roquefort. and then the q&a follows - Gouda? - no - Milk? - no - a Nac Mac Feegle? - yes! - oh maybe it's everything…

Can I make the acceptable thing "Roquefort" and name "Roquefort" as first acceptable thing?

I love breaking games with meta tactics.

Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming (2018)

#8

Post by dandelany »

Traubenfuchs wrote: post #7
internet_points wrote: post #6

We play another hypothesis testing game in our family where one player invents a secret rule and gives a single example of a thing that's acceptable. Then the others have to guess other things that might also be acceptable, and the inventor answers yes no. So the inventor starts off with for example - Roquefort. and then the q&a follows - Gouda? - no - Milk? - no - a Nac Mac Feegle? - yes! - oh maybe it's everything…

Can I make the acceptable thing "Roquefort" and name "Roquefort" as first acceptable thing? I love breaking games with meta tactics.

If you break the game in such a way that no one wants to play with you anymore, then you have in fact lost the metagame

Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming (2018)

#9

Post by internet_points »

Traubenfuchs wrote: post #7
internet_points wrote: post #6

We play another hypothesis testing game in our family where one player invents a secret rule and gives a single example of a thing that's acceptable. Then the others have to guess other things that might also be acceptable, and the inventor answers yes no. So the inventor starts off with for example - Roquefort. and then the q&a follows - Gouda? - no - Milk? - no - a Nac Mac Feegle? - yes! - oh maybe it's everything…

Can I make the acceptable thing "Roquefort" and name "Roquefort" as first acceptable thing? I love breaking games with meta tactics.

You can! But the set of just one thing tends to be easily guessable, just like the set of all things. The hardest (or most frustrating) rules are the ones that have two or more "components" like "smelly but also is in our house", we had to ban those. Gauge your audience I guess. "Must be one of the colors of the rainbow" was toeing the line.

Re: Conversations with a six-year-old on functional programming (2018)

#10

Post by Traubenfuchs »

dandelany wrote: post #8
Traubenfuchs wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can I make the acceptable thing "Roquefort" and name "Roquefort" as first acceptable thing? I love breaking games with meta tactics.

If you break the game in such a way that no one wants to play with you anymore, then you have in fact lost the metagame

I always only consider that once it's too late.
Post reply on HN