From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles

On a similar theme ...

I've randomly selected five widgets, for testing, from the product's
entire production run. Each widget is given a unique serial number when it
is made. The serial numbers start at one and increase, by one, for each
item produced. The serial numbers in the sample are 1682, 726, 1625, 613
and 310. Can you estimate the size of the entire production run?

Inspired by a singing Banana video about tank production.
--
David Entwistle
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From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles

On 05/11/2025 08:38, David Entwistle wrote:

On a similar theme ...

I've randomly selected five widgets, for testing, from the product's
entire production run. Each widget is given a unique serial number when it
is made. The serial numbers start at one and increase, by one, for each
item produced. The serial numbers in the sample are 1682, 726, 1625, 613
and 310. Can you estimate the size of the entire production run?

.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest idea.
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest idea
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest ide
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest id
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest i
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightes
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slighte
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slight
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the sligh
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slig
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the sli
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the sl
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the s
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have th
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have t
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have
.....My opening bid, just to see if I hav
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2018
--
Richard Heathfield
Email: rjh at cpax dot org dot uk
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
Sig line 4 vacant - apply within
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From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles

On Wed, 5 Nov 2025 09:41:09 +0000, Richard Heathfield wrote:

On 05/11/2025 08:38, David Entwistle wrote:

On a similar theme ...

I've randomly selected five widgets, for testing, from the product's
entire production run. Each widget is given a unique serial number when
it is made. The serial numbers start at one and increase, by one, for
each item produced. The serial numbers in the sample are 1682, 726,
1625, 613 and 310. Can you estimate the size of the entire production
run?

.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest idea.

Very close - your method looks valid. Would you like to disclose what it
is, or is it a guess?

PS Thinking about it, I think my prng (by which I mean widget serial
number generator) may have a slight bias. My intention was for serial
numbers to run from 1 to n, but I think I they be going from 0 to n - 1.
My mistake.
--
David Entwistle
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From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles

On 05/11/2025 11:13, David Entwistle wrote:

On Wed, 5 Nov 2025 09:41:09 +0000, Richard Heathfield wrote:

On 05/11/2025 08:38, David Entwistle wrote:

On a similar theme ...

I've randomly selected five widgets, for testing, from the product's
entire production run. Each widget is given a unique serial number when
it is made. The serial numbers start at one and increase, by one, for
each item produced. The serial numbers in the sample are 1682, 726,
1625, 613 and 310. Can you estimate the size of the entire production
run?

.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest idea.

Very close

Possibly because I rounded up.

- your method looks valid. Would you like to disclose what it
is, or is it a guess?

I arrived at my completely random guess by multiplying the
highest number by (the number of samples + 1)/the number of
samples, subtracting one, and then reasoning that you probably
couldn't have only 0.4 of a serial number.
--
Richard Heathfield
Email: rjh at cpax dot org dot uk
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
Sig line 4 vacant - apply within
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From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles

On Wed, 5 Nov 2025 08:38:37 -0000 (UTC), David Entwistle <qnivq.ragjvfgyr@ogvagrearg.pbz> wrote:

On a similar theme ...

I've randomly selected five widgets, for testing, from the product's
entire production run. Each widget is given a unique serial number when it >is made. The serial numbers start at one and increase, by one, for each
item produced. The serial numbers in the sample are 1682, 726, 1625, 613
and 310. Can you estimate the size of the entire production run?

Inspired by a singing Banana video about tank production.

Borrowing from Richard ...

.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest idea
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest ide
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest id
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest i
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightes
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slighte
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slight
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the sligh
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slig
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the sli
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the sl
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the s
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the

How about 2191 or 2192?
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From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles

On Sat, 08 Nov 2025 09:15:26 -0500, Charlie Roberts
<croberts@gmail.com> wrote:

I have to change my bid!

On Wed, 5 Nov 2025 08:38:37 -0000 (UTC), David Entwistle ><qnivq.ragjvfgyr@ogvagrearg.pbz> wrote:

On a similar theme ...

I've randomly selected five widgets, for testing, from the product's >>entire production run. Each widget is given a unique serial number when it >>is made. The serial numbers start at one and increase, by one, for each >>item produced. The serial numbers in the sample are 1682, 726, 1625, 613 >>and 310. Can you estimate the size of the entire production run?

Inspired by a singing Banana video about tank production.

Borrowing from Richard ...

.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest idea
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest ide
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest id
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest i
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightest
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slightes
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slighte
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slight
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the sligh
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the slig
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the sli
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the sl
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the s
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the
.....My opening bid, just to see if I have the

How about 2191 or 2192?

No not those. (Not sure where I went wrong with my
arithmetic.) Sorry for the hasty post.

The new bid is ........... 1982 or 1983.

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