2006-09-21 03:04:11 · 7 answers · asked by jarynth4 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
Dr M - Can't be both! If the frequency decreases with time, it means it's a negative multiple of the number of answers, not an exponential of the number of answers.
Deep Thought - We are talking about the same distribution, with the distinction that the Poisson distribution is the discrete approximation the exponential function/distribution. I.e. the one that also models radioactive decay. What's the half-life of a question on Yahoo Answers?
2006-09-21 07:12:40 · update #1
The temporal distribution of responses to a Yahoo! Answers question most likely follows a Poisson distribution. Please see the website below.
Sounds like a great topic for a doctoral thesis to me.
2006-09-21 03:07:06 · answer #1 · answered by Deep Thought 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The typical number of answers to a Yahoo! Answers question is too small to reliably construct a model for the answer frequency. Rather than an exponential decrease, though, I think questions demonstrate a high and nearly constant rate of answers for the first few minutes, while it appears on the Answers front page, and then it drops off to nearly nothing. I looked at one question that had 8 answers in each of the second and third minutes of its existence, then 3, 1, 0, and 2 in subsequent minutes. It looks more like an imperfect Dirac delta to me.
2006-09-21 03:06:44 · answer #2 · answered by DavidK93 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yep; so many questions are asked every day that your question will only pop up on the home page for a few minutes before it is replaced by a page of new ones coming in. So it will only be seen by people who view the home page during the few minutes it's there, or if they visit the category your question belongs to -- it will stay on the first page of that category for a while longer, depending on how popular that particular category is. So a bunch of people are likely to view and answer your question when it first appears, but within the first ten minutes, the number of people who are even aware of your question goes down very quickly.
2006-09-21 03:16:12 · answer #3 · answered by theyuks 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely, there are 100000 questions posted every 4 days or so, it will be lost, irrespective of it being the greatest question of all time or not...you generally will not get more than 1 or 2 answers after about the first 2-3 hours
Unless you are Cindy Crawford or another celebrity parasite of course!!
2006-09-21 03:06:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
No I don't think so see I don't make it a contant thing and I only get on yahoo answers to read and if I should find a question that needs an answer then I give them just what they want. There is a time to have pleasure of what you do, and then there is a time to chill!
2006-09-21 03:09:29 · answer #5 · answered by beagirl40 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let me ask my magic 8 ball.
In time you will see.
2006-09-24 15:41:32 · answer #6 · answered by exert-7 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
exponentialy with what?
With time Yes.
With answers yes.
2006-09-21 04:18:02 · answer #7 · answered by Dr M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋