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As a soon-to-be Master's degree holder in Operations Research (applied math & statistics - exactly what the series is supposed to be about) I'd like to comment on the "mathematical correctness" of this series: It ranges from acceptable to (mostly being) horrible. The "mathematicians" advising on this show must either be 1) ones concerned with theoretical math only, 2) not mathematicians at all or 3) their advice is ignored by the writers. Any Operations Research student with at least a Bachelor's degree could do a better job than they in suggesting algorithms and calculation tools for the series. The mismatch between the real-life-problem and the math method used is often so grave that I personally find it a repulsing experience to watch the show. What is even more disturbing that a well- reputed math company (Wolfram ) is the main consultant and should know better. Tikru8 ( talk) 09:47, 24 October 2011 (EET)
Charlie Epps, the only mathematician on the planet who does all his work on a blackboard, or on a clear screen! The only mathematician who writes arrays of decimals on a blackboard as opposed to a spread sheet on a computer!
Rosa Lichtenstein ( talk) 14:23, 2 July 2015 (UTC)
The website link given in the right side bar is, effectively, dead. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.102.89.109 ( talk) 00:27, 27 December 2012 (UTC)
It is incorrect to name the article "Numbers". The substitution of "3" for the "e" was always part of the shows title. I'll paste a link to CBS as a reference at the bottom. If I can figure out how to rename, I'll do it myself, or perhaps someone else would like to do it. Of course, perhaps someone disagrees, but in this case correcting Numb3rs to Numbers is actually incorrect! Link: http://eyelab.cbs.com/update_02_05/index.html BashBrannigan ( talk) 05:18, 29 July 2013 (UTC)
Is there a reason, then, that iPhone, for example, is titled the way it is? I don't think that is standard really. And please, I know about WP:OTHERSTUFF, I am just trying to get a handle on this. Dbrodbeck ( talk) 18:57, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
May I add something here? I just looked the show up both ways. When you type "Numbers" into a search engine, the search engine lists everything from numbers to the biblical Book of Numbers to TV by the Numbers. To find the show, you have to use the designation "TV". When you type "Numb3rs", you find the show itself.
By the way, TV Guide uses "Numb3rs" in their TV listings and TV news. So do The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Chicago Tribune, and the New York Times. (The first page of the New York Times search results also use the convention.) The Library of Congress lists "Numbers" as a variant title and "Numb3rs" as the official title. When you do see "Numbers", it usually is an author's personal preference and not the official title, such as Deadline TV editor Nellie Andreeva's use of "Numbers" after her objection to CBS' use of "Numb3rs" for the show's title. SciGal ( talk) 00:23, 5 January 2014 (UTC)
I have thought of two other things that may help resolve this issue. First, it seems to me that changing the title from Numb3rs to Numbers (TV series) violates Wikipedia's WP:COMMONNAME, WP:PRECISION, and WP:CONCISE policies, as the change necessitates the disambiguation. The WP:COMMONNAME policy seems to suggest that the spelling to be used is Numb3rs, which, by the way, is CBS' official spelling as determined by the United States Patent Office. Second, if you can help me, those of us who know that Numb3rs is the correct spelling need to find an interview or an audio commentary in which Numb3rs creators Cheryl Heuton and Nick Falacci specifically stated that they deliberately spelled the title Numb3rs. (I'm doing it also.) SciGal ( talk) 18:50, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
I've just removed your RfC as it was incorrectly placed, and was not neutrally worded. You're probably better off trying a WP:RM -- Rob Sinden ( talk) 13:44, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
--Why should it be moved when there is a disagreement over the correct spelling of the title of the show? SciGal ( talk) 13:48, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
I am trying to get a third opinion here as both sides insist that they are right.
Besides, there seems to be a debate for a guideline change over at MOS:TM, of which we both are participants. We really need some guidance to prevent future edit wars similar to this one. SciGal ( talk) 18:08, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
As you can see in the above section, as of 29 July 2013, there has been a disagreement over the spelling of the series' name, especially when used in the title of the article. Some editors feel that the series should be spelled Numb3rs, as it is used by many reliable English-language sources. Other editors feel that it should be named Numbers (TV series) as the alternate spelling is nonstandard English. We would like input as to what to name the article. Should it be named Numb3rs or Numbers (TV series)? SciGal ( talk) 19:37, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
I'm wondering if this could be a possible compromise. We call the article "Numb3rs", and we write "Numb3rs, also known as Numbers,..." in the lead. That way, both versions of the name is in the lead, and readers can find the show more readily without being surprised. SciGal ( talk) 21:24, 18 January 2014 (UTC)
WP:COPYEDIT states: Any published work should be spelled exactly as published, using symbols and any in-word capitalization as in the original, e.g., Piers Anthony's novel 0X is correctly spelled with the digit 0 (zero) instead of the letter O (upper-case o). Per Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Trademarks, do not attempt to ape the style (e.g. font color, typeface and other typographic effects) of the cover or promotional materials of a work. Ssscienccce ( talk) 22:26, 23 January 2014 (UTC)
Also, Rob Sinden, something has been bothering me since this started. How do you know that the show's title was stylized for promotional purposes? Have you seen an interview with a member of the show's (or the network's) art department stating that? If so, please either point us editors to that interview so that we can include it in the article. If not, do you realize that your actions and comments during this debate suggest that you changed the name of the article because you hated it? Please realize that all of the editors who have worked on this article have taken care to use high-level reliable sources (e.g., the NYT, AP, USA Today, Time, Popular Science, the AMS's web site) in addition to the entertainment web sites, and all of the high-level web sites have and do use Numb3rs for the show. SciGal ( talk) 21:05, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
There has been much debate over which spelling is the common name for the show. I ran a search on Google, and this is what I found.
Google Results (Accessed 31 January 2014)
Google Books (Accessed 31 January 2014)
Restricted Google Results
Restriction--site:.edu (Accessed 31 January 2014)
Rationale: First, the restriction "site:.edu" does allow access to scholarly works. Second, the show is set in academia.
Restriction--site:.gov (Accessed 31 January 2014)
Rationale: First, the National Science Foundation had awarded the show's creators with National Science Board's Public Service Award in 2007. Also, the show is set in the FBI and has referenced the CIA, NSA, NTSB, CDC, NASA, and FermiLab in various episodes.
Restriction--site:.org (Accessed 31 January 2014)
Rationale: I wanted to incorporate any results from academic professional organizations that are not listed under the "site:.edu" restriction. SciGal ( talk) 19:48, 31 January 2014 (UTC)
I'm trying to find which episode that has Charlie explaining to a class of students about how to choose between three doors,(like a game show) to decide which door has a car behind it. After picking a door and not finding the car, another chance to pick another door is offered. After picking another door the "picker then has the opportunity to change his mind. The question; does it improve your odds to change the decision or not. I remember that it's better to change your mind, but I can't remember why! Can you tell me which episode that was? Thanks, 174.19.197.97 ( talk) 05:41, 17 January 2014 (UTC)
I just added something of interest to the article. SciGal ( talk) 22:19, 7 February 2014 (UTC)
Series 3, episode 12 ("Nine Wives") has a vulture attacking the unconscious girl on the roadside. But it is a White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus), range Africa. Why didn't they use an American vulture such as a Turkey Vulture or Black Vulture, either of which would have been realistic? Ptilinopus ( talk) 20:29, 25 February 2015 (UTC)
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This is the
talk page for discussing improvements to the
Numbers (TV series) article. This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject. |
Article policies
|
Find sources: Google ( books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL |
Archives: 1, 2 |
![]() | This article is rated C-class on Wikipedia's
content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | ||||||||||
|
As a soon-to-be Master's degree holder in Operations Research (applied math & statistics - exactly what the series is supposed to be about) I'd like to comment on the "mathematical correctness" of this series: It ranges from acceptable to (mostly being) horrible. The "mathematicians" advising on this show must either be 1) ones concerned with theoretical math only, 2) not mathematicians at all or 3) their advice is ignored by the writers. Any Operations Research student with at least a Bachelor's degree could do a better job than they in suggesting algorithms and calculation tools for the series. The mismatch between the real-life-problem and the math method used is often so grave that I personally find it a repulsing experience to watch the show. What is even more disturbing that a well- reputed math company (Wolfram ) is the main consultant and should know better. Tikru8 ( talk) 09:47, 24 October 2011 (EET)
Charlie Epps, the only mathematician on the planet who does all his work on a blackboard, or on a clear screen! The only mathematician who writes arrays of decimals on a blackboard as opposed to a spread sheet on a computer!
Rosa Lichtenstein ( talk) 14:23, 2 July 2015 (UTC)
The website link given in the right side bar is, effectively, dead. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.102.89.109 ( talk) 00:27, 27 December 2012 (UTC)
It is incorrect to name the article "Numbers". The substitution of "3" for the "e" was always part of the shows title. I'll paste a link to CBS as a reference at the bottom. If I can figure out how to rename, I'll do it myself, or perhaps someone else would like to do it. Of course, perhaps someone disagrees, but in this case correcting Numb3rs to Numbers is actually incorrect! Link: http://eyelab.cbs.com/update_02_05/index.html BashBrannigan ( talk) 05:18, 29 July 2013 (UTC)
Is there a reason, then, that iPhone, for example, is titled the way it is? I don't think that is standard really. And please, I know about WP:OTHERSTUFF, I am just trying to get a handle on this. Dbrodbeck ( talk) 18:57, 1 November 2013 (UTC)
May I add something here? I just looked the show up both ways. When you type "Numbers" into a search engine, the search engine lists everything from numbers to the biblical Book of Numbers to TV by the Numbers. To find the show, you have to use the designation "TV". When you type "Numb3rs", you find the show itself.
By the way, TV Guide uses "Numb3rs" in their TV listings and TV news. So do The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Chicago Tribune, and the New York Times. (The first page of the New York Times search results also use the convention.) The Library of Congress lists "Numbers" as a variant title and "Numb3rs" as the official title. When you do see "Numbers", it usually is an author's personal preference and not the official title, such as Deadline TV editor Nellie Andreeva's use of "Numbers" after her objection to CBS' use of "Numb3rs" for the show's title. SciGal ( talk) 00:23, 5 January 2014 (UTC)
I have thought of two other things that may help resolve this issue. First, it seems to me that changing the title from Numb3rs to Numbers (TV series) violates Wikipedia's WP:COMMONNAME, WP:PRECISION, and WP:CONCISE policies, as the change necessitates the disambiguation. The WP:COMMONNAME policy seems to suggest that the spelling to be used is Numb3rs, which, by the way, is CBS' official spelling as determined by the United States Patent Office. Second, if you can help me, those of us who know that Numb3rs is the correct spelling need to find an interview or an audio commentary in which Numb3rs creators Cheryl Heuton and Nick Falacci specifically stated that they deliberately spelled the title Numb3rs. (I'm doing it also.) SciGal ( talk) 18:50, 13 January 2014 (UTC)
I've just removed your RfC as it was incorrectly placed, and was not neutrally worded. You're probably better off trying a WP:RM -- Rob Sinden ( talk) 13:44, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
--Why should it be moved when there is a disagreement over the correct spelling of the title of the show? SciGal ( talk) 13:48, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
I am trying to get a third opinion here as both sides insist that they are right.
Besides, there seems to be a debate for a guideline change over at MOS:TM, of which we both are participants. We really need some guidance to prevent future edit wars similar to this one. SciGal ( talk) 18:08, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
As you can see in the above section, as of 29 July 2013, there has been a disagreement over the spelling of the series' name, especially when used in the title of the article. Some editors feel that the series should be spelled Numb3rs, as it is used by many reliable English-language sources. Other editors feel that it should be named Numbers (TV series) as the alternate spelling is nonstandard English. We would like input as to what to name the article. Should it be named Numb3rs or Numbers (TV series)? SciGal ( talk) 19:37, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
I'm wondering if this could be a possible compromise. We call the article "Numb3rs", and we write "Numb3rs, also known as Numbers,..." in the lead. That way, both versions of the name is in the lead, and readers can find the show more readily without being surprised. SciGal ( talk) 21:24, 18 January 2014 (UTC)
WP:COPYEDIT states: Any published work should be spelled exactly as published, using symbols and any in-word capitalization as in the original, e.g., Piers Anthony's novel 0X is correctly spelled with the digit 0 (zero) instead of the letter O (upper-case o). Per Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Trademarks, do not attempt to ape the style (e.g. font color, typeface and other typographic effects) of the cover or promotional materials of a work. Ssscienccce ( talk) 22:26, 23 January 2014 (UTC)
Also, Rob Sinden, something has been bothering me since this started. How do you know that the show's title was stylized for promotional purposes? Have you seen an interview with a member of the show's (or the network's) art department stating that? If so, please either point us editors to that interview so that we can include it in the article. If not, do you realize that your actions and comments during this debate suggest that you changed the name of the article because you hated it? Please realize that all of the editors who have worked on this article have taken care to use high-level reliable sources (e.g., the NYT, AP, USA Today, Time, Popular Science, the AMS's web site) in addition to the entertainment web sites, and all of the high-level web sites have and do use Numb3rs for the show. SciGal ( talk) 21:05, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
There has been much debate over which spelling is the common name for the show. I ran a search on Google, and this is what I found.
Google Results (Accessed 31 January 2014)
Google Books (Accessed 31 January 2014)
Restricted Google Results
Restriction--site:.edu (Accessed 31 January 2014)
Rationale: First, the restriction "site:.edu" does allow access to scholarly works. Second, the show is set in academia.
Restriction--site:.gov (Accessed 31 January 2014)
Rationale: First, the National Science Foundation had awarded the show's creators with National Science Board's Public Service Award in 2007. Also, the show is set in the FBI and has referenced the CIA, NSA, NTSB, CDC, NASA, and FermiLab in various episodes.
Restriction--site:.org (Accessed 31 January 2014)
Rationale: I wanted to incorporate any results from academic professional organizations that are not listed under the "site:.edu" restriction. SciGal ( talk) 19:48, 31 January 2014 (UTC)
I'm trying to find which episode that has Charlie explaining to a class of students about how to choose between three doors,(like a game show) to decide which door has a car behind it. After picking a door and not finding the car, another chance to pick another door is offered. After picking another door the "picker then has the opportunity to change his mind. The question; does it improve your odds to change the decision or not. I remember that it's better to change your mind, but I can't remember why! Can you tell me which episode that was? Thanks, 174.19.197.97 ( talk) 05:41, 17 January 2014 (UTC)
I just added something of interest to the article. SciGal ( talk) 22:19, 7 February 2014 (UTC)
Series 3, episode 12 ("Nine Wives") has a vulture attacking the unconscious girl on the roadside. But it is a White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus), range Africa. Why didn't they use an American vulture such as a Turkey Vulture or Black Vulture, either of which would have been realistic? Ptilinopus ( talk) 20:29, 25 February 2015 (UTC)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified one external link on Numbers (TV series). Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
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Cheers.— cyberbot II Talk to my owner:Online 14:40, 1 April 2016 (UTC)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified 4 external links on Numbers (TV series). Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
{{
dead link}}
tag to
http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/11/04/this-just-in-cbs-trims-numb3rs-episode-order/When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.
This message was posted before February 2018.
After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than
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source check}}
(last update: 5 June 2024).
Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot ( Report bug) 12:24, 26 December 2017 (UTC)