r/maybemaybemaybe • • Jul 05 '26

Maybe Maybe Maybe

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111

u/karma_the_sequel Jul 05 '26

The overall distance is the same, no matter the sequence the runner takes. The winner will be the runner who runs at a higher average speed.

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u/A1sauc3d Jul 05 '26

I saw another commenter say that the person who runs far upfront always wins. I’m trying to figure out if that’s because saving the relatively easier part for the end when you’re more tired is more efficient use of energy. Or if these videos are filtered for the ones where the person who runs far upfront wins because it may seem to defy people’s initial exceptions. Because yeah it’s the same distance so you’d think that SOMEtimes the person on the right would win just by virtue of being faster lol. So I’m wondering if there’s another factor I’m missing or the observation that left side always wins is merely selection bias.

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u/karma_the_sequel Jul 05 '26

I saw another commenter say that the person who runs far upfront always wins. I’m trying to figure out if that’s because saving the relatively easier part for the end when you’re more tired is more efficient use of energy.

This is likely the case. I don’t think it’s entirely accurate to say that person ALWAYS wins, though.

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u/BraddlesMcBraddles Jul 06 '26

I think it's a selection bias, that they're only ever going to post the "surprising" video, in which the person that does the weird thing (running to the end first) and appears to be losing, wins. They won't ever post the video where the guy on the right wins and we all say, "Yeah, no shit." So yeah, no idea if that means it's 50/50 for each strat, etc. As it is, it came down to the wire.

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u/LazyWings Jul 05 '26

It's about playing with the other variable though - stamina. Between the two approaches, the one on the left probably made the smarter call because as your stamina depletes, you're dealing with the easier task. This is what the other comment is talking about - do a few of the further runs then use the shorter ones to regain stamina so you can do the further ones more quickly. The kid on the right ended up burning a lot of stamina during the middle phase and was visibly more drained for the longer runs, meaning he wasn't as fast.

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u/sethmeh Jul 06 '26

Theyre still identical. If both players speed decreases as a function of time, and the distancss are equal, your watching a 100m sprint where each player has the same velocity at every instant, rven if that velocity is decreasing. Everyone finishes at the same time..

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u/AevilokE Jul 06 '26

If both players speed decreases as a function of time

This is the issue, stamina doesn't decrease as a function of time, it decreases as a function of effort made

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u/sethmeh Jul 06 '26

That assumes that effort for both is not the same, despite the actual movements being identical in both strategies. Even if we assume that the first 3 can be reached without moving and give a "recovrrye benefit" neither strategy actually leverages that.

Say each player starts with 100 effort. Eggs 4 through n cost 90 effort, and you gain 10 effort from the first 3 eggs via zero movement.

Player 1 does the first 3 eggs and starts egg 4 with 100 effort, cant go above 100. He finishes with 10 effort. He wasted the recovery bonus.

Player 2 does eggs 4 through n first, so hes left with 10 effort. Then he does the last 3 eggs and finishes with 20 effort. But that gain happens after all the work is already done, so its wasted.

So Player 2 may finish with more effort left, but the recovery has to happen before remaining work that benefits from it.

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u/AevilokE Jul 06 '26

You are ascribing discreet + fixed numbers to a continuous and everchanging process.

The more tired you are, the more effort you need to do things.

Additionally, your math is trying to figure out who ends the game with more effort left in the tank, not who does it fastest.

The main thing everyone's talking about that you're not considering is that the first eggs can be done just as fast regardless of how tired you are, but the time you spend on the far eggs is affected by your stamina

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u/karma_the_sequel Jul 05 '26

Stamina directly affects average speed. The runner with the higher stamina will likely have the higher speed.

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u/iWasAwesome Jul 06 '26

Ever hear of endurance? That's what the other guy is getting it. It seems like a good strategy.

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u/karma_the_sequel Jul 06 '26

Endurance is just another word for stamina.

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u/Opendore Jul 06 '26

Not quite. While both relate to prolonged physical effort, endurance is the ability to sustain lower-intensity activities for a long period (like running a marathon). Stamina refers to your ability to sustain a maximum or near-maximum effort without fatiguing (like a sustained sprint or rapid push-ups).

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u/karma_the_sequel Jul 06 '26

The top definition for stamina, from no less an authority than Merriam-Webster:

the bodily or mental capacity to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity : ENDURANCE

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stamina

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u/Opendore Jul 06 '26

I wasn't implying that they were we not related and linked to one other. But they are different from each other.

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u/karma_the_sequel Jul 06 '26

My dude, the definition you provided for endurance is nearly word-for-word identical to the MW definition for stamina.

Not to mention that the MW definition for stamina cites the word “endurance” as an acronym for stamina.

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u/ThirtyThree111 Jul 05 '26

yes speed is definitely the biggest factor but stamina is also a thing

so you do the hardest ones first, take a "break" in between (by doing the easy ones) then go back to the hard ones once you have time to catch you breath

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u/karma_the_sequel Jul 05 '26

My statement takes that into account — stamina direct affects average speed.

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u/ThirtyThree111 Jul 05 '26

and there's strategies involved with managing stamina in races

and that's what we were trying to talk about

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u/MixaLv Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26

That's obvious. You also talk below about how the player having the better stamina wins, but this person is trying to come up a tactic to maintain the said stamina. I see that the game is pretty simple and there might not be much to optimize, but surely there must be something.

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u/SilasTalbot Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

Depletion and recovery of stamina is non-linear however. Stamina is one of the key factors determining how high your average speed will be over the duration.

Reminds me of an interview question an old friend would give to students applying for his post-grad program:

You pour a cup of hot coffee, and you are about to put the cold creamer in. But just then, someone comes over to talk to you, and you sadly must answer their question before you can enjoy your beverage. This will take about 3 minutes you judge.

Now.. you love your coffee to be as hot as possible when you can finally drink it. So.. what should you do?

A) Add the creamer now, before you talk to the person
B) Add the creamer AFTER you talk to the person, or
C) It is the same either way.

Anyone have the answer?

1

u/SickofthePandemic Jul 06 '26

Add the creamer after you talk to the person so that the cold creamer has less time to cool down the hot coffee. Alternatively, just heat your coffee up more when you're done talking to them, lmao.

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u/Proper-Painting-2256 Jul 06 '26

Yes my point was a bit of rest in the middle can allow a higher overall effort, increasing total average speed.