Douglas_Knight comments on Open thread, Feb. 9 - Feb. 15, 2015 - Less Wrong

6 Post author: MrMind 09 February 2015 09:12AM

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Comment author: Douglas_Knight 10 February 2015 04:06:34AM *  9 points [-]

The original source is Reusser 1986 p25 (26), who reports that 3/4 of first and second graders give a numerical answer. I learned that from Kaplinsky's 2013 replication, not with eight-year-olds, but with eighth graders (video). He credits Merseth 1993 with popularizing it. Kaplinsky via Gwern.

A late descendent of the joke appears in Science Made Stupid (1986), which I highly recommend.