Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!stanford.edu!rutgers!cmcl2!uupsi!fozzie!stanley From: stanley@phoenix.com (John Stanley) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Subject: Re: Easy money Message-ID: Date: 22 Mar 91 17:14:45 GMT References: <1991Mar21.234834.7338@cs.ucla.edu> Organization: Mad Scientist Lines: 32 loving@lanai.cs.ucla.edu (Mike Loving) writes: > In article <248.27e77f8b@mwk.uucp> tway@mwk.uucp (Bill Tway) writes: > > > > > > INSTRUCTIONS > > ============ > >Follow these instructions EXACTLY, and in 20 to 60 days you > >will have received well over $50,000.00 cash, all yours. > > The one thing I have difficulty figuring out, is why would any of the > poor schmucks whotake part in this put there name down as number > 10? why not cross out #5 and put your name there? A back of the envelope calculation: If your name is in slot 10, and you mail 100 letters with 10% response, and everyone else does the same, you will get 10^11 dollars. 10 from the ones that respond to you, 10*10 from the ones that respond to the 10 that responded from you ... If you put your name in slot 5, you will get only 10^6 dollars, since your name will pop off the top quicker. At the extreme, put your name in slot 1. You get ten dollars, and then your name pops off the top of the list. Now, if we assume that the system will work, this is also a reason NOT to put your name in slot 10, your wife in slot 9, your kids in slot 8, etc. You get more in the beginning, but since the return is exponential and you are stopping sooner, you get less overall. If you know the system will not run to completion, then you SHOULD put spouse in 9, etc.