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PaperclipPerfector  6mo ago (text post)   2920 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for April 12, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

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When using a ten-point scale to score the looks, do you consider a ten to lie outside the three-sigma band?

  1. Is each band from 2 to 9 0.6σ wide, with 10 being 2.4σ to infinity, or 0.82% of the population?
  2. Is each band from 2 to 9 0.75σ wide, with 10 being 3σ to infinity, or 0.13% of the population?

Or are you contrarian enough to insist that each point is a decile?

I expect that the typical person (1) has not assigned and recorded enough attractiveness ratings that he can construct a coherent normal distribution from them (I assume that dozens of data points would be required at the very least), and rather (2) assigns ratings (and does not bother to record them) on a purely ad-hoc basis without reference to any distribution.

(Also, obligatory reminder that rating out of ten is unreasonably granular, and rating out of five is better.)

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