Corrections to numbers methods on the wiki
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2023 2:23 pm
A few days ago, someone pointed out that the wiki page for a Countdown episode listed a contestant's method incorrectly, because it used a number twice. After fixing it, I ran a script on my database (which is derived from the wiki), and found there were hundreds of other cases where a supposedly valid method shown on the wiki doesn't equal the declaration, uses numbers not in the selection, or just isn't a valid expression.
Almost all of these were the result of some typo or transcription error when putting the details on the wiki, and I've fixed all but a few of them, detailed below. I must commend Mike Brown for his diligent note-taking over the years - where a method shown on the wiki didn't make sense and it wasn't obvious how to correct it, his notes proved crucial.
However, there are (at least!) three numbers rounds on the wiki which still have incorrect methods, and I can't be certain what the correct method was. Any help or additional information will be gratefully received...
1. Series 4: Episode 163, round 4. C2 uses the 3 twice. There's no way to make a 3 from the remaining numbers, but perhaps one of the 8s in the selection was actually a 3?
2. Series 5: Episode 224, round 4. C2's method is incomplete. I'm guessing there should be a -5/5 on the end, but Mike's scanned notes start at series 7 so they can't confirm this or the previous example.
3. Series 64: Episode 5242, round 14. Rachel's method for 409 is given as (75 − 7) × (8 − 2) − 5, but that doesn't equal 409. If we assume the correct method is very close to this, I can see two possibilities for the correct method:
Finally, a note on "wrongly allowed" numbers solutions: I've left this one and this one as they are. However, as a cautionary tale against trusting everything you read on the wiki, I should mention that episode 2475, whose wiki page previously included a note that C1 qualified for the finals with a supposedly incorrect numbers solution, was in fact perfectly legit. There were two 2s - the selection had simply been miscopied into the wiki.
Almost all of these were the result of some typo or transcription error when putting the details on the wiki, and I've fixed all but a few of them, detailed below. I must commend Mike Brown for his diligent note-taking over the years - where a method shown on the wiki didn't make sense and it wasn't obvious how to correct it, his notes proved crucial.
However, there are (at least!) three numbers rounds on the wiki which still have incorrect methods, and I can't be certain what the correct method was. Any help or additional information will be gratefully received...
1. Series 4: Episode 163, round 4. C2 uses the 3 twice. There's no way to make a 3 from the remaining numbers, but perhaps one of the 8s in the selection was actually a 3?
2. Series 5: Episode 224, round 4. C2's method is incomplete. I'm guessing there should be a -5/5 on the end, but Mike's scanned notes start at series 7 so they can't confirm this or the previous example.
3. Series 64: Episode 5242, round 14. Rachel's method for 409 is given as (75 − 7) × (8 − 2) − 5, but that doesn't equal 409. If we assume the correct method is very close to this, I can see two possibilities for the correct method:
- (75 - 7 + 1) * (8 - 2) - 5
- (75 - 7) * (8 - 2) + 1
Finally, a note on "wrongly allowed" numbers solutions: I've left this one and this one as they are. However, as a cautionary tale against trusting everything you read on the wiki, I should mention that episode 2475, whose wiki page previously included a note that C1 qualified for the finals with a supposedly incorrect numbers solution, was in fact perfectly legit. There were two 2s - the selection had simply been miscopied into the wiki.