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#1 2006-04-21 09:25:56
- MathsIsFun
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Quincunx
I have made a Quincunx !
Also check out Quincunx Explained to see if I have made any errors, omissions or plain old mispellings 
"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..." - Leon M. Lederman
#2 2006-04-21 16:28:49
- ganesh
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Re: Quincunx
The Quincunx is very well designed! When I looked into the explanation, I didn't find any mathematical error (I was in a hurry when I did). But to say it is 100% correct, I'd require a little more time!
Once again, very well done, MathsIsFun !
Character is who you are when no one is looking.
#3 2006-04-21 21:30:14
- justlookingforthemoment
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Re: Quincunx
It's hypnotic to watch! I can stare at it for hours! 
Photo: my test run. The units column of numbers got chopped off!
#4 2006-04-22 01:29:01
- mathsyperson
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Re: Quincunx
Woah. That is amazing, even by your standards. It's really fun to look at.
The only slight flaw I could say is that if you wanted to use it for actual simulation purposes, rather than just something extremely cool to look at, it would take a while for the numbers to get high enough to be good results. Maybe you could include another bar that varies the force of gravity or something, to make the balls fall at varying speeds. That way, people could also slow it down and watch the path of each individual ball if they wanted to.
Alternatively, you could possibly make a similar page but with no animations, just fields for people to enter the amount of rows, the left probability and the number of trials and then they can get the results instantly without waiting.
I couldn't find any flaws with the explanation either, so if me and ganesh both can't find anything, it's quite likely that it's mistake-free!
Once again, excellent page. I'm going off to watch it some more now...
Why did the vector cross the road?
It wanted to be normal.
#5 2006-04-22 11:41:06
- MathsIsFun
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Re: Quincunx
justlookingforthemoment wrote:
Photo: my test run. The units column of numbers got chopped off!
You must have left it running all day or night! Sorry about the chopping off, if I make the text small enough to fit, it looks pretty poor.
It is pretty cool to watch - needs a good backing track! Try listening to it with some cool music going
Yeah, maybe I could have a "go crazy fast" version!
"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..." - Leon M. Lederman
#6 2006-04-22 16:24:42
- justlookingforthemoment
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Re: Quincunx
MathsIsFun wrote:
It is pretty cool to watch - needs a good backing track!
I know - the Hex Drums!
#7 2006-04-22 22:05:01
- MathsIsFun
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Re: Quincunx
LOL!!
"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..." - Leon M. Lederman
#8 2006-04-25 02:15:15
- ryos
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Re: Quincunx
I used to have a few of these as a little kid. They were just toys; I didn't know they were a mathematical thingy! By the way, I haven't seen one in years. I wonder if they still make them?
Oh yeah, very well done.
El que pega primero pega dos veces.
#9 2006-04-26 20:47:30
- MathsIsFun
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Re: Quincunx
Toys for young mathematicians: "Mummy, my Quincunx is Skewed by 10 Percent!"
Anyway, I have slightly updated this virtual one - it now has a Fast Forward button (for the impatient few)
"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..." - Leon M. Lederman
#10 2006-05-24 22:28:39
- Ninja 101
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Re: Quincunx
MathsIsFun wrote:
LOL!!
what does that mean!
Chaos is found in greatest abundance wherever order is being saught. It always defeats order, because it is better organized.
#12 2006-05-28 02:04:45
- John E. Franklin
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Re: Quincunx
I did .801 left for 10 high rows, 100 balls, and got:
9,23,34,19,9,5,1,0,0,0,0
Pretty neat, but I couldn't choose .8 left, only .801 was the closest.
I read the explanation and thought it was very nice, though I would
have to do my own permutation study before I believe every formula.
I am not talking about probability vs. reality being different, as they
always are not the same, I just mean that I would have to work on
permutations for a few days before I discovered the "4 choose 3"
formulas for myself.
Last edited by John E. Franklin (2006-05-28 02:06:50)
Imagine for a moment that even an earthworm may possess a love of self and a love of others.
#13 2006-05-28 05:40:44
- numen
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Re: Quincunx
You can enter the left probability yourself if you click it.
It's pretty neat, yeah.
It would also be nice if you could enter how many balls to go through so you don't have to wait for the exact moment to stop it. Like if I wanted to run with 500 balls and do something else while it was running. The gravity idea is also good 
Bang postponed. Not big enough. Reboot.
#14 2006-05-28 09:48:57
- MathsIsFun
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Re: Quincunx
You are supposed to sit there mesmerized, watching the balls bounce, until something in the back of your head says "Wake Up - It's 500 Now!" 
"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..." - Leon M. Lederman
#15 2006-07-24 06:08:17
- Devantè
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Re: Quincunx
That looks amazing...I could sit and watch that through the holidays...