MathsTutor

No-one knows the answer to this question for sure, because there are too many possible avenues in chess to consider. We may never know what it is, but in principle there is an answer. This would represent the ultimate solution to chess.

Using your understanding of the game, what do you consider to be most likely:

(a) White can force a win against any black defense

(b) Black can force a win against any play by white

(c) Neither black nor white can force a win if the other player does everything right.

In noughts and crosses (also known as tic-tac-toe) it is well known that the situation is (c): if both players do the right thing, neither player can win. In drafts (also known as checkers) I understand that the player playing first has a disadvantage, so the situation might well be analogous to (b).

What, in your opinion, is the situation in chess?

Another way to put the question is in a game between two players with Ultimate Knowledge of every possible chess eventuality, what would the result be: a win for white, a draw or a win for black?

Would be great to field some opinions on this.

I have a partitioned hard drive (two volumes). My 20GB system volume (C:) has run out of space: only 713MB free currently. I have 35MB of unallocated space which I would like to use instead.

I tried to extend the system volume into this (formerly D:) but it failed because it is not possible to extend a system volume. Is there any way I can use the 35GB as the system volume instead?

Failing that, is there any mileage in moving files (perhaps temporarily) from C: into a restored D: volume.

I use external disks for storage so that is not an issue. As far as I know only system files are on C: at the moment.

Running Windows XP Professional, 2002, SP3.

Just for fun.

You may also like to try this one

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201...

By definition i^2=-1, but (-i)^2 is also -1. So what enables us to make a non-arbitrary distinction between i and -i?

Such a distinction clearly can be made between 1 and -1, because 1²=1, yet (-1)²≠ -1.

( - 1 ) ^ - i = ( - 1 ) ^ i ?

The justification for the proposition is as follows.

(-1)^-i

=(-1)^(-1*i)

=(-1)^-1^i

=(-1)^i

Would those who would say "no" please show that this argument is invalid directly?

What is (-1)^i?

Is it -1 or 0.043?

For those who don't understand the question, i is a square root of minus one.

It is widely recognised that climate changes associated with the greenhouse effect (including global warming) are bad news. I understand the physical chain of causation: greenhouse gas emissions, intensified greenhouse gas concentrations, intensified absorption of the long wave electromagnetic heat continuously radiated from the Earth's surface, increased atmospheric temperature, other climatological effects. I don't want to discuss that any further here. But how does this chain of causation actually continue and impact on living things? Are these effects necessarily going to be harmful to life overall? If so, what are the decisive, large scale impacts one can point to that will harm life?

If I appear to be sceptical it is only because I am hoping for some clarity on this question when I have scarcely heard anything at all but vagueness. Frankly, my hope is to strengthen the arguments I am inclined to make against anthropogenic climate change -not that I don't want that to limit or polarise the discussion.

I should clarify that am asking especially about non-human life on earth. The capabilities or otherwise of humans to adapt or respond to climate change is a related and interesting question, but brings with it further complications which I am not seeking to discuss here.

I have posted this in the science category rather than environment because I am hoping for a scientific response.

My question about Debbie Harry is, "Was she a war child? WAS she a war baby?"

I was thinking this to myself this morning and I think it would be interesting to know.

Who can tell me how to get a numerical programming platform (you know, assigning values to variables with commands, making command loops and so on) up and running for free on my Linux-system-operated Asus laptop in the least possible number of steps? Having vector or array variables would be a plus.

Many thanks!