21 March 2008 Thinking Cap Time
All right, prize time. The first person to come up with a plausible calculation of this gets a prize from Asia (customized to suit the winner!).
I saw my first pedunk in Hong Kong last week. I would call it a pididdle, but apparently a car with the taillight out is technically called a pedunk. It seems significant to this car fan that in 4 months of time in Hong Kong, walking amongst traffic A LOT, that I wouldn't see one at all until now. It speaks to the attention that is paid to people's cars here. All cars are cleaned religiously, and cabs are a cut above even that. Maintenance is done constantly in down time, and inspections are rigorous. So the quiz question: How fast is a pedunk (or pididdle) found and fixed in Hong Kong, versus the US? In Maine, I would see a pedunk practically every day on the way to work, with a car density orders of magnitude less than here in Hong Kong. Assume I am in the presence of cars 1 hour per day in both locations and that bulbs burn out at roughly the same rate. You will need to perform some research into the car density in both locations (southern Maine, Hong Kong), and work your way back to how fast a pediddle is found and fixed in both areas. Post your analysis as a response to this blog, and I will post the winner in a few weeks. While the most clinically correct answer is sought after (I am an engineer by training!), right brained answers are also welcome and will be considered in the contest. Yes, Tracy, that keeps you in the running.
8 comments:
as soon as it is found(Diane)
I give you credit for speed, but that is it. I am looking for the smell of brain cells smoking a bit.. :)
Do you already know the answer?
Not an answer posted by some organization other than my own brain... there is enough data to establish a 'Service Latency Ratio' between the 2 places! :)
Let’s a guy drives/walks to work for 1 hour. In Hong Kong, knowing how crowded their streets are, he probably sees 1000 cars. (He’ll see many more, but only observe a fraction.) Over the course of 4 months, assuming he works 5 days a week, he’ll see 85,000 cars (17 weeks * 5 days/wk * 1000 cars/day). So in other words, he sees one taillight out per 85,000 vehicles observed.
In Maine, he’ll see about 500 cars, and if he observes one-fourth, that yields 125 cars observed per day. That means he sees one taillight out per 125 cars observed.
The ratio is 85,000 divided 125, or 680. In other words, it takes 680 times longer to replace a taillight in Hong Kong than in Maine. If it takes ½ a day to replace in Hong Kong, it takes darn near a year in southern Maine.
Well done, travelling boaz! You get the prize. When I get back to HK, we will have to think of something neat to send you. That is exactly what I was looking for; it might not be exact, but you see the scope of the difference between the two locations!
Nice!
2 thing:
Does it matter if I got help? (I got to learn something in the end. :-) )
What was your answer? And if you would, please, show me your process so I can learn still.
AHHHHHHHHH! You even put a shout out to me and I missed it! I just now realized your wife's link to your blog takes people to one post, not the main page of your blog. So I have been visiting and wondering why you are not posting.I'll do better now. Thanks for the shout out and for the record, I would have said the same thing travelingboaz did. (wink, wink).
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