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Scientific wager

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310:. Lindzen had been willing to bet that global temperatures would drop over the next 20 years. Annan says that Lindzen wanted odds of 50–1 against falling temperatures. Lindzen, however, says that he asked for 2–1 odds against a temperature rise of over 0.4 °C. Annan and others state they have challenged other denialists to bets over global warming that were not accepted, including Annan's attempt in 2005 to accept a bet that had been offered by 31:. It typically comprises a commitment to pay out when a currently-unknown or uncertain statement is resolved, and either proven or disproved. Some wagers have specific date restrictions for collection, but many are open. Wagers occasionally exert a powerful galvanizing effect on society and the scientific community. 305:
concerning whether future temperatures will increase. Two Russian solar physicists, Galina Mashnich and Vladimir Bashkirtsev, accepted the wager of US$ 10,000 (equivalent to $ 15,000 in 2023) that the average global temperature during 2012–2017 would be lower than during 1998–2003. The bet ended
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mounted 5 km from one of the markers, Wallace established that the nearer one appeared to be the higher of the two. An independent referee agreed that this showed the Earth's surface to curve away from the telescope, and so Wallace won his money. However, Hampden never accepted the result and
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bet US$ 150 (equivalent to $ 270 in 2023) each on whether anyone born before 2001 will reach the age of 150. They later increased the bet to $ 300 (equivalent to $ 380 in 2023) each. The pot is invested in a fund, and could be worth several hundred million dollars by
124:. In 1990, Hawking acknowledged that he had lost the bet. Hawking's explanation for his position was that if black holes did not actually exist much of his research would be incorrect, but at least he would have the consolation of winning the bet. 236:
of the winner's choice, from which "information can be recovered at will". Hawking conceded the bet in 2004, giving a baseball encyclopaedia to John Preskill. Thorne has not formally conceded. See:
81:, was agreed on: Wallace measured the curvature of the canal's surface using two markers separated by about 5 km (3 mi) and suspended at equal heights above the water's surface. Using a 404: 224:
that information cannot be destroyed. Hawking and Thorne bet that information must be lost in a black hole; Preskill bet that it must not. The formal wager was: "When an initial pure
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factoring challenge no later than 2033. In 2023, John Preuß Mattsson bet $ 2,050 that the challenge will withstand quantum computing until at least 2050.
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How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda
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that he could prove the flat Earth hypothesis incorrect. The sum staked was £500 (equivalent to £62,000 in 2023). A test involving a stretch of the
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would not be detected by July 8, 2015. On August 16, 2016, after agreeing to a one-year delay to allow for more data collection from the
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There are many examples of scientific wagers from the past two centuries, many related to large-scale questions in science at the time.
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Tim Harford ... resolves a four year-old bet on climate change between climate scientist James Annan and astrophysicist David Whitehouse
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was delayed the bet was extended to 2016. As of summer 2016 there had been no signs of superparticles, and the losers delivered "good
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in 1998 that temperatures would be cooler after ten years. Annan made a bet in 2011 with astrophysicist David Whitehouse that the
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How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States
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to form a black hole, the final state at the end of black hole evaporation will always be a pure quantum state". The stake was an
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in 2017 with a win to Annan. Mashnich and Bashkirtsev did not honour the bet. Previously, Annan had directly challenged
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temperature would set a new annual record by the end of the year. Annan was declared to have lost on January 13, 2012.
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that the price of a portfolio of US$ 200 (equivalent to $ 700 in 2023) of each of five mineral commodities (
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to capture the motion of a galloping horse were not part of a wager, contrary to popular opinion.
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would be solved with a proof that P≠NP by the end of the 20th century. Sipser sent Adleman an
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at a price not less than $ 100" each to the winners (equivalent to $ 130 in 2023).
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lost a wager about supersymmetry, but he continues to believe in the theory. In 2017,
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5,000 bet (equivalent to £8,000 in 2023) of global warming versus global cooling.
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made increasingly unpleasant threats to Wallace. This test is now known as the
726: 1340: 1240:"$ 2050 that no quantum computer will break RSA2048 before 2050. Any takers?" 1028: 889: 821: 775: 428: 359: 263: 259: 243: 233: 225: 213: 158: 1098: 988: 897: 829: 783: 583: 439: 323: 276: 800:(2003). "Bioinformatics: Gene Counters Struggle to Get the Right Answer". 1050: 396: 382: 332: 298: 288: 280: 112: 94: 351: 315: 209: 121: 117: 101: 66: 284: 172: 165: 82: 27:
whose outcome is settled by experiment or observation, following the
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faster than the wind as documented on Muller's channel, Veritasium.
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made a bet for US$ 2,048 (equivalent to $ 2,500 in 2023) with
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coin in 2000 because the problem remained (and remains) unsolved.
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on the ultimate resolution of the apparent contradiction between
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In 2000 roughly 40 physicists made a bet about the existence of
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Muller, Derek Alexander; Kusenko, Alexander (9 June 2021).
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From 2000 to 2003, scientists placed bets on the number of
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Notable scientists who have made scientific wagers include
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resulting in a loss of information, and a requirement of
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From Quanta to Quarks: More Anecdotal History of Physics
370:, Frank Wilczek conceded the superparticle bet to Lisi. 1077:"Yet more betting on climate with World Climate Report" 554:
Pavlus, John (2012-01-01). "Machines of the Infinite".
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Pages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
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won £1250 (equivalent to £7,500 in 2023) from four
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Interview with the BBC on discovery of the Higgs Boson
1128:"Climate change sceptics bet $ 10,000 on cooler world" 953:"Climate sceptics place bets on world cooling down" 913: 909: 907: 675:. Hackensack, NJ: World Scientific. p. 139. 497: 495: 493: 479:is not a wager in the sense used in this article. 1338: 510: 377:lost $ 100 (equivalent to $ 130 in 2023) to 50:dating back to 1980; many are still unresolved. 914:Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). 904: 46:has an open book containing about 35 wagers in 1099:"More or Less, High Speed 2 and Executive Pay" 1091: 603: 601: 599: 597: 595: 593: 511:Thomas, Ryland; Williamson, Samuel H. (2024). 490: 1263: 1029:"Reason Magazine – Betting on Climate Change" 1026: 381:of the University of Michigan because of the 1001: 53: 1244:NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography Mailing List 1208: 856:"Geneticists play the numbers game in vain" 590: 456:Long Now Foundation § Long Bet Project 16:Bet on the outcome of a scientific question 1202:"Betting on the Future of Quantum Gravity" 1148: 790: 978: 879: 765: 246:, to be settled in 2011, but because the 1313: 741: 694: 692: 628: 608: 1288: 850: 844: 796: 712: 700:"Supersymmetry Bet Settled With Cognac" 651:"Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" 1339: 553: 161:in a ten-year span from 1968 to 1978. 1049: 950: 747: 689: 670: 649:Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. 157:experts by never losing a match to a 1163: 1125: 1289:Kusenko, Alexander (22 June 2021). 1142: 13: 1266:"Downwind sailing wager agreement" 14: 1363: 1216:"Quantum Computing: a new record" 702:. Quantamagazine. 22 August 2016. 576:10.1038/scientificamerican0912-66 110:for Thorne against four years of 1314:Woodward, Aylin (Jul 28, 2021). 1079:. James' Empty Blog. 24 May 2005 1002:Mark Kaufman (19 October 2018). 713:Fleming, Nic (18 October 2016). 509:"consistent series" supplied in 337:Competitive Enterprise Institute 1282: 1257: 1232: 1194: 1183: 1119: 1069: 1043: 1020: 995: 944: 935:Gross Domestic Product deflator 503:Gross Domestic Product deflator 391:has won many bets connected to 1126:Adam, David (19 August 2005). 706: 664: 547: 532: 131:wagered an ounce of gold with 1: 1027:Ronald Bailey (8 June 2005). 916:"What Was the U.S. GDP Then?" 814:10.1126/science.301.5636.1040 513:"What Was the U.K. GDP Then?" 483: 405:Francisco Rodríguez-Henríquez 643:American Antiquarian Society 623:American Antiquarian Society 460:The efforts of photographer 7: 449: 238:Thorne-Hawking-Preskill bet 120:would turn out to not be a 44:Stanford Linear Accelerator 10: 1368: 1149:A. G. Lisi (2009-08-08). 727:10.1038/nature.2016.20818 468:Millennium Prize problems 444:sailing directly downwind 438:lost a $ 10,000 wager to 303:global warming denialists 54:Notable scientific wagers 539:Stephen Hawking (1997). 442:over the possibility of 411:will publicly break the 88:Bedford Level experiment 671:Capri, Anton Z (2007). 543:(VHS). New River Media. 358:made a public bet with 155:artificial intelligence 100:bet fellow cosmologist 346:On July 8, 2009, at a 230:gravitational collapse 368:Large Hadron Collider 248:Large Hadron Collider 63:Alfred Russel Wallace 1347:Sociology of science 176:Julian Lincoln Simon 148:International Master 1057:. James' Empty Blog 971:2005Natur.436..897G 951:Giles, Jim (2005). 937:figures follow the 872:2003Natur.423..576P 808:(5636): 1040–1041. 748:Giles, Jim (2002). 568:2012SciAm.307c..66P 556:Scientific American 505:figures follow the 417:Daniel J. Bernstein 401:Daniel J. Bernstein 356:Antony Garrett Lisi 200:Simon–Ehrlich wager 141:American Gold Eagle 137:P versus NP problem 67:flat-Earth theorist 1130:. London: Guardian 798:Pennisi, Elizabeth 462:Eadweard Muybridge 431:accepted the bet. 104:a subscription to 1055:"Betting Summary" 760:(6914): 354–355. 682:978-981-270-916-5 436:Alexander Kusenko 409:quantum computers 296:climate scientist 294:In 2005, British 222:quantum mechanics 218:Hawking radiation 75:Old Bedford River 29:scientific method 1359: 1331: 1330: 1328: 1326: 1320:Business Insider 1311: 1305: 1304: 1302: 1301: 1286: 1280: 1279: 1277: 1276: 1261: 1255: 1254: 1252: 1250: 1236: 1230: 1229: 1227: 1225: 1220: 1212: 1206: 1205: 1204:. 14 March 2014. 1198: 1192: 1187: 1181: 1180: 1178: 1177: 1167: 1161: 1160: 1158: 1157: 1146: 1140: 1139: 1137: 1135: 1123: 1117: 1116: 1111: 1110: 1095: 1089: 1088: 1086: 1084: 1073: 1067: 1066: 1064: 1062: 1047: 1041: 1040: 1038: 1036: 1024: 1018: 1017: 1015: 1014: 999: 993: 992: 982: 948: 942: 932: 930: 928: 911: 902: 901: 883: 848: 842: 841: 794: 788: 787: 769: 745: 739: 738: 710: 704: 703: 696: 687: 686: 668: 662: 661: 659: 657: 646: 640: 626: 620: 605: 588: 587: 551: 545: 544: 536: 530: 529: 527: 525: 499: 473: 312:Patrick Michaels 212:made a bet with 48:particle physics 21:scientific wager 1367: 1366: 1362: 1361: 1360: 1358: 1357: 1356: 1337: 1336: 1335: 1334: 1324: 1322: 1312: 1308: 1299: 1297: 1287: 1283: 1274: 1272: 1262: 1258: 1248: 1246: 1238: 1237: 1233: 1223: 1221: 1218: 1214: 1213: 1209: 1200: 1199: 1195: 1188: 1184: 1175: 1173: 1169: 1168: 1164: 1155: 1153: 1147: 1143: 1133: 1131: 1124: 1120: 1108: 1106: 1097: 1096: 1092: 1082: 1080: 1075: 1074: 1070: 1060: 1058: 1053:(9 June 2005). 1048: 1044: 1034: 1032: 1025: 1021: 1012: 1010: 1000: 996: 980:10.1038/436897a 949: 945: 926: 924: 912: 905: 881:10.1038/423576a 849: 845: 795: 791: 767:10.1038/420354a 746: 742: 711: 707: 698: 697: 690: 683: 669: 665: 655: 653: 638: 630:McCusker, J. J. 618: 610:McCusker, J. J. 606: 591: 552: 548: 538: 537: 533: 523: 521: 501:United Kingdom 500: 491: 486: 471: 452: 393:quantum gravity 375:Stephen Hawking 308:Richard Lindzen 301:laid bets with 206:Stephen Hawking 169:Paul R. Ehrlich 146:In 1978, chess 133:Leonard Adleman 98:Stephen Hawking 56: 40:Richard Feynman 36:Stephen Hawking 17: 12: 11: 5: 1365: 1355: 1354: 1349: 1333: 1332: 1306: 1281: 1256: 1231: 1207: 1193: 1182: 1162: 1151:"Science Pond" 1141: 1118: 1090: 1068: 1042: 1019: 994: 943: 939:MeasuringWorth 933:United States 921:MeasuringWorth 903: 852:Pearson, Helen 843: 789: 740: 705: 688: 681: 663: 647:1800–present: 589: 546: 531: 518:MeasuringWorth 507:MeasuringWorth 488: 487: 485: 482: 481: 480: 477:Pascal's wager 474: 465: 458: 451: 448: 364:superparticles 350:conference in 329:George Monbiot 269: 268: 129:Michael Sipser 55: 52: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1364: 1353: 1350: 1348: 1345: 1344: 1342: 1321: 1317: 1310: 1296: 1292: 1285: 1271: 1267: 1260: 1245: 1241: 1235: 1217: 1211: 1203: 1197: 1191: 1186: 1172: 1166: 1152: 1145: 1129: 1122: 1115: 1104: 1100: 1094: 1078: 1072: 1056: 1052: 1046: 1030: 1023: 1009: 1005: 998: 990: 986: 981: 976: 972: 968: 965:(7053): 897. 964: 960: 959: 954: 947: 940: 936: 923: 922: 917: 910: 908: 899: 895: 891: 887: 882: 877: 873: 869: 866:(6940): 576. 865: 861: 857: 853: 847: 839: 835: 831: 827: 823: 819: 815: 811: 807: 803: 799: 793: 785: 781: 777: 773: 768: 763: 759: 755: 751: 744: 736: 732: 728: 724: 720: 716: 709: 701: 695: 693: 684: 678: 674: 667: 652: 644: 637: 636: 631: 624: 617: 616: 611: 604: 602: 600: 598: 596: 594: 585: 581: 577: 573: 569: 565: 561: 557: 550: 542: 535: 520: 519: 514: 508: 504: 498: 496: 494: 489: 478: 475: 469: 466: 463: 459: 457: 454: 453: 447: 445: 441: 437: 432: 430: 429:Michele Mosca 426: 422: 418: 414: 410: 406: 402: 398: 394: 390: 386: 384: 380: 376: 371: 369: 365: 361: 360:Frank Wilczek 357: 353: 349: 344: 342: 338: 334: 330: 326: 325: 319: 317: 313: 309: 304: 300: 297: 292: 290: 287:organised by 286: 282: 278: 274: 265: 264:Jay Olshansky 261: 260:Steven Austad 257: 256: 255: 253: 249: 245: 244:supersymmetry 240: 239: 235: 234:encyclopaedia 231: 227: 226:quantum state 223: 219: 215: 214:John Preskill 211: 207: 202: 201: 197: 193: 189: 185: 181: 177: 174: 170: 167: 162: 160: 159:chess program 156: 152: 149: 144: 142: 138: 134: 130: 125: 123: 119: 116:for him that 115: 114: 109: 108: 103: 99: 96: 91: 89: 84: 80: 76: 72: 68: 64: 59: 51: 49: 45: 41: 37: 32: 30: 26: 22: 1325:14 September 1323:. 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Retrieved 516: 506: 440:Derek Muller 433: 387: 372: 345: 324:The Guardian 322: 320: 293: 277:human genome 270: 241: 203: 163: 145: 126: 111: 106: 92: 71:John Hampden 60: 57: 33: 20: 18: 1295:Google Docs 1270:Google Docs 1083:30 December 627:1700–1799: 607:1634–1699: 541:Black Holes 425:Daniel Apon 421:John Sahhar 397:David Gross 385:discovery. 383:Higgs boson 379:Gordon Kane 333:Myron Ebell 331:challenged 299:James Annan 289:Ewan Birney 281:sweepstakes 113:Private Eye 95:cosmologist 1341:Categories 1300:2021-07-01 1275:2021-07-01 1176:2016-08-22 1156:2009-12-13 1109:2012-01-13 1013:2019-07-09 484:References 395:. In 2016 352:the Azores 327:columnist 321:In 2005, 316:Met Office 228:undergoes 210:Kip Thorne 151:David Levy 122:black hole 118:Cygnus X-1 102:Kip Thorne 1035:29 August 890:0028-0836 822:0036-8075 776:0028-0836 735:132452686 373:In 2012, 285:GeneSweep 283:known as 258:In 2000, 204:In 1997, 173:economist 166:biologist 164:In 1980, 135:that the 127:In 1975, 107:Penthouse 93:In 1975, 83:telescope 61:In 1870, 1249:20 April 1224:20 April 1134:13 April 1061:13 April 989:16107801 941:series. 898:12789304 854:(2003). 830:12933991 784:12459753 632:(1992). 612:(1997). 584:22928263 524:July 15, 450:See also 434:In 2021 413:RSA-2048 389:Zvi Bern 196:tungsten 184:chromium 967:Bibcode 868:Bibcode 838:5227212 802:Science 564:Bibcode 335:of the 275:in the 79:Norfolk 1352:Wagers 987:  958:Nature 896:  888:  860:Nature 836:  828:  820:  782:  774:  754:Nature 733:  719:Nature 679:  582:  427:, and 252:cognac 194:, and 188:nickel 180:copper 69:named 65:bet a 42:. The 1219:(PDF) 1008:Yahoo 834:S2CID 731:S2CID 639:(PDF) 619:(PDF) 407:that 362:that 339:to a 279:in a 273:genes 267:2150. 77:, in 25:wager 23:is a 1327:2021 1251:2023 1226:2023 1136:2007 1085:2008 1063:2007 1037:2010 985:PMID 929:2023 894:PMID 886:ISSN 826:PMID 818:ISSN 780:PMID 772:ISSN 677:ISBN 658:2024 580:PMID 526:2024 348:FQXi 262:and 208:and 171:bet 38:and 1103:BBC 975:doi 963:436 876:doi 864:423 810:doi 806:301 762:doi 758:420 723:doi 572:doi 560:307 192:tin 1343:: 1318:. 1293:. 1268:. 1242:. 1112:. 1101:. 1006:. 983:. 973:. 961:. 955:. 918:. 906:^ 892:. 884:. 874:. 862:. 858:. 832:. 824:. 816:. 804:. 778:. 770:. 756:. 752:. 729:. 721:. 717:. 691:^ 641:. 621:. 592:^ 578:. 570:. 558:. 515:. 492:^ 423:, 419:, 354:, 291:. 190:, 186:, 182:, 90:. 19:A 1329:. 1303:. 1278:. 1253:. 1228:. 1179:. 1159:. 1138:. 1087:. 1065:. 1039:. 1016:. 991:. 977:: 969:: 931:. 900:. 878:: 870:: 840:. 812:: 786:. 764:: 737:. 725:: 685:. 660:. 645:. 625:. 586:. 574:: 566:: 528:. 341:£

Index

wager
scientific method
Stephen Hawking
Richard Feynman
Stanford Linear Accelerator
particle physics
Alfred Russel Wallace
flat-Earth theorist
John Hampden
Old Bedford River
Norfolk
telescope
Bedford Level experiment
cosmologist
Stephen Hawking
Kip Thorne
Penthouse
Private Eye
Cygnus X-1
black hole
Michael Sipser
Leonard Adleman
P versus NP problem
American Gold Eagle
International Master
David Levy
artificial intelligence
chess program
biologist
Paul R. Ehrlich

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