Question 1 of 12Correct: 0
Why couldn't the Vasa right itself after heeling?
What should have been decided before the deck-running test?
Which translation error is discussed most often?
Where did the canals on Mars come from?
Why was the march on Moscow needed?
When did the army lose most of its men?
Why did the register error bring down the business so quickly?
What should you do when saving a line about a company or person?
Where did they propose putting armor on the bombers?
What is the essence of survivorship bias?
What is the essence of the cobra effect?
What signals that a metric is dangerous?
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Why a brand-new ship sank on its maiden voyagein the app0/2How a Translation Error Changed History0/2Why Napoleon Marched on Moscowin the app0/2How a Typo Cost Millions0/2What Is Survivorship Biasin the app0/2What Is the Cobra Effect0/2
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Answers and explanations12 questions
- Why couldn't the Vasa right itself after heeling? The ship's weight was too high upA high center of gravity and too little room for ballast made the ship unstable.From “Why a brand-new ship sank on its maiden voyage”
- What should have been decided before the deck-running test? What to do if the test found a problemThe test showed dangerous heeling, but no plan for a bad result had been made in advance.From “Why a brand-new ship sank on its maiden voyage”
- Which translation error is discussed most often? Japan's response to the 1945 ultimatumThe word meant both "leave without comment" and "ignore"; the second meaning was reported.From “How a Translation Error Changed History”
- Where did the canals on Mars come from? Translating "channels" as "canals"The word "canals" implies builders - and the question of life on Mars became serious for half a century.From “How a Translation Error Changed History”
- Why was the march on Moscow needed? To win a decisive battle and return Russia to the blockade of EnglandThe plan was based on a familiar scenario: one major battle near the border, the defeat of the opposing army, and negotiations.From “Why Napoleon Marched on Moscow”
- When did the army lose most of its men? In summer and fall, before the frostsMost losses came on the way to Moscow: disease, supply shortages, and stragglers. The cold completed the retreat, but it did not start it.From “Why Napoleon Marched on Moscow”
- Why did the register error bring down the business so quickly? Systems copied it and partners trusted the recordThe register entry was taken as fact, and its copies spread faster than the correction.From “How a Typo Cost Millions”
- What should you do when saving a line about a company or person? Reread that specific line before savingThe article suggests checking the line you're saving, because other databases will read it as a decision.From “How a Typo Cost Millions”
- Where did they propose putting armor on the bombers? Where there were no bullet holesThe bullet holes were visible where the plane could survive them; planes hit elsewhere did not return.From “What Is Survivorship Bias”
- What is the essence of survivorship bias? Only those who made it to the end enter the sampleThe conclusion is based on those who survived, while those who did not make it are left out of the statistics.From “What Is Survivorship Bias”
- What is the essence of the cobra effect? A solution makes the problem worse because people work toward the metricA measure that becomes a target starts taking on a life of its own.From “What Is the Cobra Effect”
- What signals that a metric is dangerous? It can be produced rather than only achievedTails instead of rats, calls instead of resolved requests.From “What Is the Cobra Effect”