Physics paper guessing game: Are you worse than a monkey?

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SUMMARY

The Physics paper guessing game challenges players to identify real physics papers from fake ones generated by a context-free grammar. Players receive a ranking based on their performance, with ranks ranging from "worse than a monkey" for scores below 50% to "Nobel prize winner" for top performers. The game is accessible via the website http://snarxiv.org/vs-arxiv/, and users report varying success rates, with some achieving perfect scores by leveraging prior knowledge of real papers. The game combines entertainment with educational value, making it a unique tool for engaging with physics literature.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of physics research and terminology
  • Familiarity with the arXiv repository
  • Basic knowledge of context-free grammar concepts
  • Ability to analyze and compare academic paper titles
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the arXiv repository for real physics papers
  • Research context-free grammar and its applications in text generation
  • Investigate the psychology of guessing games and decision-making
  • Learn about the significance of paper titles in academic publishing
USEFUL FOR

Physics students, educators, and anyone interested in enhancing their ability to discern real academic work from generated content will benefit from this discussion.

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The concept of the game: You are presented with the titles of two papers. One paper is a real one posted at the arXiv. The other is fake, with the title automatically generated using a context-free grammar. Your job: Guess which is the real paper. After guessing you will be presented with another pair of titles. You can play as long as you want. The game will give you a ranking based on your ability to ferret out the real physics papers versus the fake ones. Do slightly worse than 50% and you are ranked "worse than a monkey". Dropping down even lower makes you a "ninth year graduate student". Do well and you will rise to the rank of "undergraduate" and may eventually achieve the rank of "Nobel prize winner".

Here is the website: http://snarxiv.org/vs-arxiv/.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
:smile: You made my day. (And I'm pretty good at picking the 'winners', apparently. Racked up a Nobel prize. :cool:)
 
I'm an undergraduate.

Well at least I'm at the right level for my current education status.
 
Woah... I'm stumped by my first one. I feel like an idiot! This game is awesome.
 
I went 10 for 10, but I had read 4 of the real papers so I am not so sure it counts.
 
Vanadium 50 said:
I went 10 for 10, but I had read 4 of the real papers so I am not so sure it counts.

I was 6 for 6... then 6 for 7... then 6 for 8... then 6 for 9... then 6 for 10...

Then I just started clicking the left side each time.

Now I'm 16 for 22?
 
I got to 7 out of 7 just clicking the right side without even reading the title, suspect it might be slightly biased :).
 
Got to love it, I just kept clicking right this time and got "Ed, is that you?" 10 out of 10.
 
I just tried the "click right scheme" and got some hilarious ratings.

0 out of 5: Guess harder.
1 out of 6: Crackpot.
2 out of 7: LHC doomsayer.
2 out of 8: Nice round number.
3 out of 9: Worse than a monkey.
3 out of 10: Try using AdS/CFT.
12 out of 30: 9th year graduate student.
 

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