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Secretary Problem

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Re: Secretary Problem

#41

Post by greenpresident »

roel_v wrote: post #32
aaronsnoswell wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is that variation politically incorrect? Genuine question here. If anything, to me it seems culturally correct.

Do you really need to ask? Are you seriously incapable of seeing that some people might be offended (stupidly, if you ask me, but that doesn't make them any less so) by a story where a woman is apparently picked like cattle by a feudal lord?

I suspect he meant to say that the analogy accurately depicts something that really happens. An assessment that, incidentally, is pretty politically incorrect in itself.

Re: Secretary Problem

#42

Post by aleksi »

chaz wrote: post #23
FLUX-YOU wrote: post #9

I'm going to be the dumb guy ranting here and say that I dislike this word problem since external knowledge of the world can change your strategy. I might be stopping too soon because the time cost of evaluating candidates is far too high compared to the work that needs to be done immediately. The sooner I get someone in, the sooner that work gets done, the less behind we all get, the less workload for the new secret…

I think the difference is that you're reading it as practical word problem, when the intent is to present a math problem. I first heard about this problem in a politically incorrect variation: a tribe chief is given the opportunity to choose a wife from a pool of n women, presented in a random order, one at a time. He can choose any woman, but can't choose a woman who he has already passed up. What's the strategy for…

Interesting. In Russia this problem is known as choosy bride problem, where bride is looking for the best groom.

Re: Secretary Problem

#44

Post by philbarr »

Hmm, I wonder if this could be used to find a decent pub whilst in a strange city?

It's always a problem when you're on holiday and you know there are n pubs around, but you don't want to spend all your time going around and checking each and every pub 'cos that gets tedious. The question is - how many pubs should I visit before I give up?

As a general rule is this saying you should visit n/e pubs and then just pick the next best one?

Re: Secretary Problem

#45

Post by jakobe »

roel_v wrote: post #34
FLUX-YOU wrote: post #9

I'm going to be the dumb guy ranting here and say that I dislike this word problem since external knowledge of the world can change your strategy. I might be stopping too soon because the time cost of evaluating candidates is far too high compared to the work that needs to be done immediately. The sooner I get someone in, the sooner that work gets done, the less behind we all get, the less workload for the new secret…

I think that when presenting a problem like this, it's not unreasonable to assume that the audience is capable of the abstract thinking that is needed to distill the underlying problem from the application in which it is presented. Come to think of it, maybe I'd argue even stronger: when I was younger, I had a hard time understanding programming problems that were explained in terms of 'foo / bar' classes or function…

As I became more experienced, I started understanding abstract concepts better because I have already seen more real world things. I can now quicky think of my own examples in my head.

(Aside: This is why I think you should work first, study later. University deals with abstract concepts, but without experience these abstract concepts often mean nothing to you)

Re: Secretary Problem

#46

Post by ronaldx »

oggy wrote: post #40
philjohn wrote: post #31

There's a TV show in the UK that uses a spin on this - it's called 4 rooms. The premise is that people come on the show with, what they consider to be, a valuable artifact. They then have the chance to take it to 4 collectors who will offer them a sum of money for said artifact. The aim is to come away with the best offer you can get - but you only get one shot with each collector, you can't go back to a previous one…

Are the collectors aware of the order in which they talk to the seller? That is, is the 4th collector aware that he's the "last chance" for the seller?

No, it's claimed they are not aware.

Although it's not clear how they avoid timing attacks.

Re: Secretary Problem

#47

Post by vijucat »

I, like many others, used to have the attitude that "puzzles are for interviews". But recently, I have started seeing that there can be practical applications for seemingly academic ideas.

For example, I know a proprietary trader who uses a concept similar to this from the field of Optimal Stopping for his trading system exclusively, i.e., his entire trading strategy, managing tens of millions of dollars for a big bank, is basically an application of Optimal Stopping to the markets!

Re: Secretary Problem

#48

Post by brc »

gargarplex wrote: post #17
Johnie wrote: post #15

The same strategy can be used in dating too. When you live in a major city and the dating options are boundless, there is always someone around the corner that is "perfect" or more perfect than the current person that you are dating. Next thing you know, you're in your late 30s and still single.

I always feel bad when I see these posts. I'm 26 and in a major city, but finding dates is a serious problem for me. My looks are only slightly below average (4/10) but my personality is probably the deal breaker.

Everybody gets what they want out of dating.

If you want excitement, you'll get excitement. If you want stability, you'll get stability. If you want to confirm an opinion of yourself as undateable - guess what, that's what you'll get.

Most people say they want one thing but actually don't work towards that thing. They just pay it lip service.

Re: Secretary Problem

#49

Post by philbarr »

gargarplex wrote: post #17
Johnie wrote: post #15

The same strategy can be used in dating too. When you live in a major city and the dating options are boundless, there is always someone around the corner that is "perfect" or more perfect than the current person that you are dating. Next thing you know, you're in your late 30s and still single.

I always feel bad when I see these posts. I'm 26 and in a major city, but finding dates is a serious problem for me. My looks are only slightly below average (4/10) but my personality is probably the deal breaker.

Try out my guaranteed chat up line: "Polar bear! It's just something to break the ice..."

Then laugh drunkenly at your own joke - that bit's important.

Worked for me - married over 10 years now.

Re: Secretary Problem

#50

Post by TeMPOraL »

aaronsnoswell wrote: post #26
chaz wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the difference is that you're reading it as practical word problem, when the intent is to present a math problem. I first heard about this problem in a politically incorrect variation: a tribe chief is given the opportunity to choose a wife from a pool of n women, presented in a random order, one at a time. He can choose any woman, but can't choose a woman who he has already passed up. What's the strategy for…

How is that variation politically incorrect? Genuine question here. If anything, to me it seems culturally correct.

The word "correct" in "politically correct" means "as we want it to be", not "as it really is".
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