Worried your boyfriend is never going to propose? Then buy him a calculator. Mathematicians have come up with a 'fiancee formula' that allows men to work out the perfect time to pop the question.
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Worried your boyfriend is never going to propose? Then buy him a calculator. Mathematicians have come up with a 'fiancee formula' that allows men to work out the perfect time to pop the question. All he needs is the age he would first consider marrying and hiscut-off point - and the equation does the rest. Maths professor Anthony Dooley said: 'Applying maths to matters of the heart is always dangerous. In life you are dealing with emotions and have to think much harder. 'But if you want to work out the right moment to start getting serious, this gives you a mathematical framework.' The formula is based on a statistical technique known as optimal stopping - or the best time to do something. Professor Dooley's colleague, Professor Bruce Brown, said the formula was a 'reasonable approach' unwittingly followed by many young men, including himself. Writing in the third person, he said: 'As for the author, he can tell you that, looking back and doing some calculations, he did follow the marriage solution, albeit by accident, and it has worked out perfectly.' The formula was devised with men in mind but could equally apply to women, including those uncertain about whether to accept a proposal. It could also help nervous men calculate when to avoid the ultimate commitment. But those who find they have passed the optimal age for proposing should not panic - simply pop the question to the next good prospect who comes along. Professor Dooley, of New South Wales University in Sydney, added: 'Probability isn't the most romantic basis for a marriage but while the formula won't fit everyone it does seem to fit a lot of couples, whether through accident or design.' (Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site.) (Agencies) |
擔(dān)心男友不向你求婚?給他買個(gè)計(jì)算器吧! 日前,數(shù)學(xué)家研究出一個(gè)“求婚公式”,讓男士們可以計(jì)算出求婚的最佳時(shí)間。 在計(jì)算過程中,只需提供最初考慮結(jié)婚的年齡和最遲結(jié)婚期限,剩下的都交給公式來處理。 數(shù)學(xué)教授安東尼?杜利說:“把數(shù)學(xué)運(yùn)用到感情問題中通常不保險(xiǎn)。在生活中,你得處理感情問題,而且需要更仔細(xì)地思量。 “但如果你想算出最佳結(jié)婚時(shí)間,這個(gè)公式可為你提供一個(gè)參考。” 該公式基于一個(gè)被稱為“最優(yōu)停止”的統(tǒng)計(jì)學(xué)技術(shù),可計(jì)算出做某事的最佳時(shí)間。 杜利教授的同事布魯斯?布朗教授說,該公式是一個(gè)“合理的方法”,很多年輕男士都在不知不覺中遵循著這一公式,包括他本人。 杜利教授在研究報(bào)告中以第三人稱寫道:“至于作者,他可以告訴你,回過頭去看看,再做番計(jì)算,他的確遵循了這一婚姻公式——盡管是偶然的巧合,而且應(yīng)用得很完美?!?/p> 盡管這一公式是為男士設(shè)計(jì)的,但對女士同樣適用,比如那些正在猶豫是否接受求婚的女性。該公式還可以幫助緊張不安的男士計(jì)算出避免求婚的時(shí)間。 不過發(fā)現(xiàn)自己已經(jīng)錯(cuò)過最佳求婚年齡的人也不要恐慌——就直接向下一個(gè)可能結(jié)為連理的對象求婚吧。 悉尼新南威爾士大學(xué)的杜利教授說:“概率不是婚姻最為浪漫的基礎(chǔ),但盡管這一公式不適用于每一個(gè)人,它確實(shí)適用于很多夫妻,不論是巧合還是精心設(shè)計(jì)的?!?/p> 相關(guān)閱讀 澳經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家發(fā)明幸福計(jì)算公式 (中國日報(bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 陳丹妮 編輯蔡姍姍) |
Vocabulary: cut-off point: 截止點(diǎn) albeit: although 盡管;雖然 optimal: most desirable possible under a restriction expressed or implied 最佳的;最適宜的 |