The Official TPH Education Thread (POTENTIAL GAME DAY SPOILERS)

[dhkendall]

I think I refuse to "get" things because I'm SCARED TO DEATH of getting it wrong. That's why I so rarely guess on FJ! either.

Why? You don't have money on the line like the contestants. You have no desire to be on like many of us (and this don't need it for practice). Most people I watch it with are in those same boats, only get a handful right, and don't care. You are in an enviable position in that you don't need to worry about your wrong answers like we do.

[naurae29]

December 26, 2016

NHO Ryan Gosling, and don't recognize any of the movies he's been in either.

...
Four hits for Gosling in 2016 not counting tonight.

December 4, 2013

NHO Ryan Gosling.

Feb. 26, 2014

Still no idea who Ryan Gosling is. Never heard of Drive or Half Nelson, either.

Re: "NHO"

You keep using that term. I don't think it means what you think it means.

[BobF]

Hammer. You have discalcula. That means your brain works different from ours and we can't explain it to you. Consequently, nothing will work. With your differently-functioning brain it'll be impossible for you to understand math like we do, and it'll be impossible to understand many clues like we do. It'll be like your dog asking you how you know how to operate the car and which streets to turn down to take him to the vet. He just isn't going to understand due to the completely different way he interprets the world around him. Not to say that's worse, he does things better than you do, just as I'll always marvel how you know things merely based on your shopping mall hobby, not to mention how insanely well you do at Wheel - as someone who sucks at that game I'll never understand the tricks you use to succeed.

Understanding that you interpret the world in a different (but in no way inferior) way to us will go a long way on preventing the frustration both of us have in this thread.

Very well and very kindly put. Kudos to you, sir!

[This Is Kirk!]

WLT convicts or Copenhagen in the top box?

Australia was famously first settled by the British as a penal colony. Brahe is famously a Danish nobleman and astronomer.

[TenPoundHammer]

Example: 826 - 473 = ?
Step 1: Add whatever amount is necessary to make the ones place of b (473) match the ones place of a (826). What do you need to add to 473 to get a number ending in 6? 3, right? So we add 473 + 3 and end up with 476.
Step 2: Since we've taken care of the ones place, we can move over to the tens place. Starting from our new number of 476, what do we need to add to make the tens place of that number (476) match the tens place of a (826)? In other words, 70 plus what equals a number ending in 20? 50, right? So we add 476 + 50 and end up with 526.
Step 3: Now to the hundreds place. Same deal here. We're at 526 and need to get to 826. How much do we need to add? 300. 526 + 300 = 826.
Step 4: Add together the amounts from the prior steps. First you added 3, then 50, then 300. 300 + 50 + 3 = 353, and that's your answer. You have determined the distance from 473 to 826, which is the same thing as figuring out what 826 - 473 is.

This works with any two positive numbers. Feel free to test it by using different sets of numbers.

What if it were 823-473 or 876-473 then? You have to add nothing to get from 3 to 3, or 7 to 7, so doesn't that throw the rest of the thing completely out of whack?

I think I refuse to "get" things because I'm SCARED TO DEATH of getting it wrong. That's why I so rarely guess on FJ! either.

Why? You don't have money on the line like the contestants. You have no desire to be on like many of us (and this don't need it for practice). Most people I watch it with are in those same boats, only get a handful right, and don't care. You are in an enviable position in that you don't need to worry about your wrong answers like we do.

I don't know why. I think it's because in real life situations, I've taken a lot of guesses that have turned out to be miles off base. Like using a word that I think I know the meaning of, only to realize it meant something else entirely, and embarrassing myself by unintentionally saying something stupid or horrific.

[seaborgium]

Example: 826 - 473 = ?
Step 1: Add whatever amount is necessary to make the ones place of b (473) match the ones place of a (826). What do you need to add to 473 to get a number ending in 6? 3, right? So we add 473 + 3 and end up with 476.
Step 2: Since we've taken care of the ones place, we can move over to the tens place. Starting from our new number of 476, what do we need to add to make the tens place of that number (476) match the tens place of a (826)? In other words, 70 plus what equals a number ending in 20? 50, right? So we add 476 + 50 and end up with 526.
Step 3: Now to the hundreds place. Same deal here. We're at 526 and need to get to 826. How much do we need to add? 300. 526 + 300 = 826.
Step 4: Add together the amounts from the prior steps. First you added 3, then 50, then 300. 300 + 50 + 3 = 353, and that's your answer. You have determined the distance from 473 to 826, which is the same thing as figuring out what 826 - 473 is.

This works with any two positive numbers. Feel free to test it by using different sets of numbers.

What if it were 823-473 or 876-473 then? You have to add nothing to get from 3 to 3, or 7 to 7, so doesn't that throw the rest of the thing completely out of whack?

I've been snarky to you already, but please don't read this as snark: that's what zeroes are for.

[TenPoundHammer]

Example: 826 - 473 = ?
Step 1: Add whatever amount is necessary to make the ones place of b (473) match the ones place of a (826). What do you need to add to 473 to get a number ending in 6? 3, right? So we add 473 + 3 and end up with 476.
Step 2: Since we've taken care of the ones place, we can move over to the tens place. Starting from our new number of 476, what do we need to add to make the tens place of that number (476) match the tens place of a (826)? In other words, 70 plus what equals a number ending in 20? 50, right? So we add 476 + 50 and end up with 526.
Step 3: Now to the hundreds place. Same deal here. We're at 526 and need to get to 826. How much do we need to add? 300. 526 + 300 = 826.
Step 4: Add together the amounts from the prior steps. First you added 3, then 50, then 300. 300 + 50 + 3 = 353, and that's your answer. You have determined the distance from 473 to 826, which is the same thing as figuring out what 826 - 473 is.

This works with any two positive numbers. Feel free to test it by using different sets of numbers.

What if it were 823-473 or 876-473 then? You have to add nothing to get from 3 to 3, or 7 to 7, so doesn't that throw the rest of the thing completely out of whack?

I've been snarky to you already, but please don't read this as snark: that's what zeroes are for.

Still, it's an element that's different from any of the other problems I've been given. Surely it HAS to be different now because one thing has completely changed.

[Volante]

Example: 826 - 473 = ?
Step 1: Add whatever amount is necessary to make the ones place of b (473) match the ones place of a (826). What do you need to add to 473 to get a number ending in 6? 3, right? So we add 473 + 3 and end up with 476.
Step 2: Since we've taken care of the ones place, we can move over to the tens place. Starting from our new number of 476, what do we need to add to make the tens place of that number (476) match the tens place of a (826)? In other words, 70 plus what equals a number ending in 20? 50, right? So we add 476 + 50 and end up with 526.
Step 3: Now to the hundreds place. Same deal here. We're at 526 and need to get to 826. How much do we need to add? 300. 526 + 300 = 826.
Step 4: Add together the amounts from the prior steps. First you added 3, then 50, then 300. 300 + 50 + 3 = 353, and that's your answer. You have determined the distance from 473 to 826, which is the same thing as figuring out what 826 - 473 is.

This works with any two positive numbers. Feel free to test it by using different sets of numbers.

What if it were 823-473 or 876-473 then? You have to add nothing to get from 3 to 3, or 7 to 7, so doesn't that throw the rest of the thing completely out of whack?

I've been snarky to you already, but please don't read this as snark: that's what zeroes are for.

Still, it's an element that's different from any of the other problems I've been given. Surely it HAS to be different now because one thing has completely changed.

It's not. You add 0 to 3 to get 3, so the ones place in the first is 0. You add 0 to 7 to get 7, so the tens place in the second is 0.

876-473 = (800-400) + (70-70) + (6-3) = 400 + 0 + 3 = 403

[Elijah Baley]

So about that USS Kearsage and CSS Alabama clue; I just curious if you ever pause the show to see if you can reason through clues, or do you just give up when you're sure that you've never heard of something. Because if you're remotely interested in learning something, you should consider working at it.

Because this clue was a good example where if you know that "USS" followed by a name stands for United States Ship (like the USS Enterprise, for example), and then they give you CSS Alabama - ok, so you haven't seen "CSS" but they tell you "Alabama" and hey, maybe it's also a ship, but if it's not a US ship, then maybe it could be related to the Confederacy - maybe "CSS" is just similar enough to "USS" that it might mean Confederate State Ship.

Jeopardy often requires deductive skill because it would be unlikely that every contestant would literally know every clue from memory, so every champ has had to make some educated guesses along the way.

[TenPoundHammer]

So about that USS Kearsage and CSS Alabama clue; I just curious if you ever pause the show to see if you can reason through clues, or do you just give up when you're sure that you've never heard of something. Because if you're remotely interested in learning something, you should consider working at it.

Because this clue was a good example where if you know that "USS" followed by a name stands for United States Ship (like the USS Enterprise, for example), and then they give you CSS Alabama - ok, so you haven't seen "CSS" but they tell you "Alabama" and hey, maybe it's also a ship, but if it's not a US ship, then maybe it could be related to the Confederacy - maybe "CSS" is just similar enough to "USS" that it might mean Confederate State Ship.

Jeopardy often requires deductive skill because it would be unlikely that every contestant would literally know every clue from memory, so every champ has had to make some educated guesses along the way.

Even pausing that, I saw no way to reason it out. None of the words meant anything to me. I wouldn't have thought "related to the Confederacy" because I didn't know there were any naval battles in the Civil War. I barely know what USS stands for.

And honestly, that seems like a LOT of hoops to jump through for a $200 clue.

[Volante]

So about that USS Kearsage and CSS Alabama clue; I just curious if you ever pause the show to see if you can reason through clues, or do you just give up when you're sure that you've never heard of something. Because if you're remotely interested in learning something, you should consider working at it.

Because this clue was a good example where if you know that "USS" followed by a name stands for United States Ship (like the USS Enterprise, for example), and then they give you CSS Alabama - ok, so you haven't seen "CSS" but they tell you "Alabama" and hey, maybe it's also a ship, but if it's not a US ship, then maybe it could be related to the Confederacy - maybe "CSS" is just similar enough to "USS" that it might mean Confederate State Ship.

Jeopardy often requires deductive skill because it would be unlikely that every contestant would literally know every clue from memory, so every champ has had to make some educated guesses along the way.

Even pausing that, I saw no way to reason it out. None of the words meant anything to me. I wouldn't have thought "related to the Confederacy" because I didn't know there were any naval battles in the Civil War. I barely know what USS stands for.

And honestly, that seems like a LOT of hoops to jump through for a $200 clue.

We had a discussion on the USS Merrimack / CSS Virginia on -this forum- the past couple days.

[trainman]

NHO "Bon Ami", ended up 4/5 in Brands. Where do they get these obscure-ass brands from?

The Ralphs at Venice and Overland.

I've always liked Bon Ami's "hasn't scratched yet" slogan and accompanying picture of a just-hatched chick.

[Elijah Baley]

So about that USS Kearsage and CSS Alabama clue; I just curious if you ever pause the show to see if you can reason through clues, or do you just give up when you're sure that you've never heard of something. Because if you're remotely interested in learning something, you should consider working at it.

Because this clue was a good example where if you know that "USS" followed by a name stands for United States Ship (like the USS Enterprise, for example), and then they give you CSS Alabama - ok, so you haven't seen "CSS" but they tell you "Alabama" and hey, maybe it's also a ship, but if it's not a US ship, then maybe it could be related to the Confederacy - maybe "CSS" is just similar enough to "USS" that it might mean Confederate State Ship.

Jeopardy often requires deductive skill because it would be unlikely that every contestant would literally know every clue from memory, so every champ has had to make some educated guesses along the way.

Even pausing that, I saw no way to reason it out. None of the words meant anything to me. I wouldn't have thought "related to the Confederacy" because I didn't know there were any naval battles in the Civil War. I barely know what USS stands for.

And honestly, that seems like a LOT of hoops to jump through for a $200 clue.

Yeah, except you just watched a show the day before that established that there were naval battles, so that excuse doesn't hold up. And, you're missing the point of my question, which is do you ever pause the show to see if you can think through a clue - because doing stuff like that is the only way you're ever going to get deductive reasoning. It sounds like you're not remotely interested, which is your choice, of course.

And for a $200 clue, there was only one war where Americans fought each other, so while the specific battle was little obscure for a $200 clue, when there is literally only one possible answer, I think that justifies its placement.

[Bamaman]

Farragut and Mobile Bay come up quite a bit on the show.

[Elijah Baley]

Farragut and Mobile Bay come up quite a bit on the show.

Heck, TPH should just watch Gone With The Wind - Rhett Butler running the Northern blockade is referenced several times.

[TenPoundHammer]

So about that USS Kearsage and CSS Alabama clue; I just curious if you ever pause the show to see if you can reason through clues, or do you just give up when you're sure that you've never heard of something. Because if you're remotely interested in learning something, you should consider working at it.

Because this clue was a good example where if you know that "USS" followed by a name stands for United States Ship (like the USS Enterprise, for example), and then they give you CSS Alabama - ok, so you haven't seen "CSS" but they tell you "Alabama" and hey, maybe it's also a ship, but if it's not a US ship, then maybe it could be related to the Confederacy - maybe "CSS" is just similar enough to "USS" that it might mean Confederate State Ship.

Jeopardy often requires deductive skill because it would be unlikely that every contestant would literally know every clue from memory, so every champ has had to make some educated guesses along the way.

Even pausing that, I saw no way to reason it out. None of the words meant anything to me. I wouldn't have thought "related to the Confederacy" because I didn't know there were any naval battles in the Civil War. I barely know what USS stands for.

And honestly, that seems like a LOT of hoops to jump through for a $200 clue.

Yeah, except you just watched a show the day before that established that there were naval battles, so that excuse doesn't hold up. And, you're missing the point of my question, which is do you ever pause the show to see if you can think through a clue - because doing stuff like that is the only way you're ever going to get deductive reasoning. It sounds like you're not remotely interested, which is your choice, of course.

And for a $200 clue, there was only one war where Americans fought each other, so while the specific battle was little obscure for a $200 clue, when there is literally only one possible answer, I think that justifies its placement.

What part of the clue said anything about Americans fighting each other?

[Elijah Baley]

So about that USS Kearsage and CSS Alabama clue; I just curious if you ever pause the show to see if you can reason through clues, or do you just give up when you're sure that you've never heard of something. Because if you're remotely interested in learning something, you should consider working at it.

Because this clue was a good example where if you know that "USS" followed by a name stands for United States Ship (like the USS Enterprise, for example), and then they give you CSS Alabama - ok, so you haven't seen "CSS" but they tell you "Alabama" and hey, maybe it's also a ship, but if it's not a US ship, then maybe it could be related to the Confederacy - maybe "CSS" is just similar enough to "USS" that it might mean Confederate State Ship.

Jeopardy often requires deductive skill because it would be unlikely that every contestant would literally know every clue from memory, so every champ has had to make some educated guesses along the way.

Even pausing that, I saw no way to reason it out. None of the words meant anything to me. I wouldn't have thought "related to the Confederacy" because I didn't know there were any naval battles in the Civil War. I barely know what USS stands for.

And honestly, that seems like a LOT of hoops to jump through for a $200 clue.

Yeah, except you just watched a show the day before that established that there were naval battles, so that excuse doesn't hold up. And, you're missing the point of my question, which is do you ever pause the show to see if you can think through a clue - because doing stuff like that is the only way you're ever going to get deductive reasoning. It sounds like you're not remotely interested, which is your choice, of course.

And for a $200 clue, there was only one war where Americans fought each other, so while the specific battle was little obscure for a $200 clue, when there is literally only one possible answer, I think that justifies its placement.

What part of the clue said anything about Americans fighting each other?

I'll wait for the archive for the exact language, but I'm pretty sure it referred to a painting by Manet of a battle between the USS Kearsage and the CSS Alabama. Even if you didn't know exactly what CSS means, they're telling you it's a battle between: (1) a United States Ship and (2) something else called the Alabama. The Civil War would be the only conflict where an American ship would be fighting another American ship. (It's bonus info that the artist was Manet and if you know even a tiny bit about French impressionist painters, they were painting in the second half of the 1800s and that further narrows it down).

Again, you're in good company because none of the contestants felt comfortable enough to guess - but it was not a particularly difficult clue.

[TenPoundHammer]

Still, it's an element that's different from any of the other problems I've been given. Surely it HAS to be different now because one thing has completely changed.

It's not. You add 0 to 3 to get 3, so the ones place in the first is 0. You add 0 to 7 to get 7, so the tens place in the second is 0.

876-473 = (800-400) + (70-70) + (6-3) = 400 + 0 + 3 = 403

Which is why you explained it in a completely different way.

I'll wait for the archive for the exact language, but I'm pretty sure it referred to a painting by Manet of a battle between the USS Kearsage and the CSS Alabama. Even if you didn't know exactly what CSS means, they're telling you it's a battle between: (1) a United States Ship and (2) something else called the Alabama. The Civil War would be the only conflict where an American ship would be fighting another American ship. (It's bonus info that the artist was Manet and if you know even a tiny bit about French impressionist painters, they were painting in the second half of the 1800s and that further narrows it down).

Again, that is a crapton of info to boil down in a few seconds. I didn't even get as far as USS = something American, and thus figured it'd be something leagues more obscure.

I find I do that a lot. I also saw "blah blah blah Israelites blah blah Jericho" but then also saw "Moses", which was enough to convince me that no way in a billion years could it possibly be Joshua.

Just like in this game, where Unreal Estate for $800 said "This land's 4 main countries are Winkie, Gillikin, Quadling & Munchkin". I saw "This land's 4 main countries are three words I don't recognize at all" and figured I had no chance.

Or in this game's FJ!: "An 1831 novel says that Charlemagne laid the first stone of this title place, 'old queen of our cathedrals'." I saw "Blah blah blah Charlemagne" and tuned out, because I figured I had no chance.

[jeff6286]

If you're too lazy or uninterested to actually read every word in a clue, that's certainly your right as an American, but please, please, don't come crying to us about it.

[Elijah Baley]

Still, it's an element that's different from any of the other problems I've been given. Surely it HAS to be different now because one thing has completely changed.

It's not. You add 0 to 3 to get 3, so the ones place in the first is 0. You add 0 to 7 to get 7, so the tens place in the second is 0.

876-473 = (800-400) + (70-70) + (6-3) = 400 + 0 + 3 = 403

Which is why you explained it in a completely different way.

I'll wait for the archive for the exact language, but I'm pretty sure it referred to a painting by Manet of a battle between the USS Kearsage and the CSS Alabama. Even if you didn't know exactly what CSS means, they're telling you it's a battle between: (1) a United States Ship and (2) something else called the Alabama. The Civil War would be the only conflict where an American ship would be fighting another American ship. (It's bonus info that the artist was Manet and if you know even a tiny bit about French impressionist painters, they were painting in the second half of the 1800s and that further narrows it down).

Again, that is a crapton of info to boil down in a few seconds. I didn't even get as far as USS = something American, and thus figured it'd be something leagues more obscure.

I find I do that a lot. I also saw "blah blah blah Israelites blah blah Jericho" but then also saw "Moses", which was enough to convince me that no way in a billion years could it possibly be Joshua.

Just like in this game, where Unreal Estate for $800 said "This land's 4 main countries are Winkie, Gillikin, Quadling & Munchkin". I saw "This land's 4 main countries are three words I don't recognize at all" and figured I had no chance.

Or in this game's FJ!: "An 1831 novel says that Charlemagne laid the first stone of this title place, 'old queen of our cathedrals'." I saw "Blah blah blah Charlemagne" and tuned out, because I figured I had no chance.

Well, it's like this. You don't wake up one morning and decide to run a marathon that day. You start slowly and work up to it. In this case, you could pause any and maybe every clue.

But, if you don't even want to put on a pair of running shoes, as Jeff6286 says, you really need to stop complaining that you're never going to be a marathon runner.