rhollerith_dot_com comments on Checking for the Programming Gear - Less Wrong

5 Post author: MBlume 08 September 2012 08:38PM

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Comment author: rhollerith_dot_com 09 September 2012 05:10:54PM *  2 points [-]

Note: this is me reply to myself (which I concede is a little lame and maybe I shouldn't've.)

I forgot my favorite question of this type, which, BTW, a couple of doctors I consulted did not seem to be able to answer: how many micrograms in .05 milligrams?

In other words, my hypothesis is that the way to identify the "programming gear" is to test knowledge of some really simple "formal system" such as arithmetic or metric-system prefixes that one would expect adults with a practical command of the simple formal system to be well-rehearsed in.