Rock-Paper-Scissors: You vs. the Computer

[Kevin Slater]

This from the NY Times:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/science/rock-paper-scissors.html?hp

 

Scary. In what should have been an even match, I lost to the computer 25 to 50, with 19 ties. (I was playing in veteran mode.)

 

Kevin Slater

[seeker630]

This from the NY Times:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/science/rock-paper-scissors.html?hp

 

Scary. In what should have been an even match, I lost to the computer 25 to 50, with 19 ties. (I was playing in veteran mode.)

 

Kevin Slater

 

In Novice mode, I won 9 to 2, with 9 ties. I should quit while I'm ahead!

 

But...I tried Veteran mode. I won 9 to 6, with 5 ties, through a combination of alternately trying to guess patterns and then occasionally reverting to random! I bailed after 20 games because I suspect the tide would begin to turn soon!

[+ deej]

I only played 50 rounds and came away with 20 wins, 13 losses, and 17 ties. (In novice mode.)

 

It's a neat bit of programming, particularly the part where it explains how the computer "thinks".

 

A time-waster for sure, but this one is actually worthwhile.

[justaguy]

Keving, thanks for posting this article. I'm going to waste some hours figuring out how it works. Then I'm going to research the folks who did the programming.