Re: How many different varieties (color, size, etc) of socks do you have in your sock drawer?

in reply to How many different varieties (color, size, etc) of socks do you have in your sock drawer?

Curiously, from our early Perl Monk history, the only personal information known of cinder_bdt, the mysterious second non-insider to join the Perl Monks web site (on Dec 23 1999 22:49 UTC), relates to his socks:

When I buy socks, I throw all my old ones out and buy 21 new pairs. Here's my favorite high school math word problem:

Q: If you have blue socks, red socks and white socks, what is the smallest number greater than 0 of socks that you have to pull out of your drawer to get a pair?
A: n+1 where n is 3 because you have 3 different colors.
Well, this way I only ever have to touch two socks!

It's nice that he's still remembered and revered today even though he has not visited us for eleven years now (last here Jun 15, 2005 14:39 UTC). I wonder what he is doing with his socks today and if he will ever return to join us once again.

Update: Further googling suggests cinder_bdt may have moved to Alaska, in which case he will need more socks to prevent frost-bitten toes.

Comment on Re: How many different varieties (color, size, etc) of socks do you have in your sock drawer?

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Re^2: How many different varieties (color, size, etc) of socks do you have in your sock drawer? by pryrt (Abbot) on Oct 01, 2016 at 23:25 UTC
He was wrong, of course. You could pull out a pair on the first try. And pulling 4 socks only guarantees at least one pair if you have exactly 1 pair of each color. The question, as stated, had no information about how many pairs.	[reply]
Re^3: How many different varieties (color, size, etc) of socks do you have in your sock drawer? by Anonymous Monk on Oct 02, 2016 at 00:35 UTC
He's wrong because the question doesn't ask for a matched pair, so the correct answer is two.	[reply]
Re^4: How many different varieties (color, size, etc) of socks do you have in your sock drawer? by chacham (Prior) on Oct 02, 2016 at 02:17 UTC
the question doesn't ask for a matched pair, "What do you mean my socks don't match?! I have another pair just like it at home!"	[reply]
Re^2: How many different varieties (color, size, etc) of socks do you have in your sock drawer? by talexb (Chancellor) on Oct 07, 2016 at 21:10 UTC
Interesting -- 21 new pairs, but are they split equally among the three colours? Discuss. :) Alex / talexb / Toronto Thanks PJ. We owe you so much. Groklaw -- RIP -- 2003 to 2013.	[reply]
Re^3: How many different varieties (color, size, etc) of socks do you have in your sock drawer? by chacham (Prior) on Oct 09, 2016 at 13:40 UTC
21 new pairs, but are they split equally among the three colours? 21 is Blackjack. Black is a pigment made from other colors, which could be three. A blackjack can also cause you to see colors before blacking out.	[reply]
Re^2: How many different varieties (color, size, etc) of socks do you have in your sock drawer? by Pope-O-Matik (Pilgrim) on Oct 02, 2016 at 02:15 UTC
I'm glad to have contributed! (Or something like that. 8^P )	[reply]

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