Scientists Discover Tipping Point for the Spread of Ideas 283
An anonymous reader writes "Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society. 'When the number of committed opinion holders is below 10 percent, there is no visible progress in the spread of ideas. It would literally take the amount of time comparable to the age of the universe for this size group to reach the majority,' said SCNARC Director Boleslaw Szymanski. 'Once that number grows above 10 percent, the idea spreads like flame.' The findings were published in the July 22, 2011, early online edition of the journal Physical Review E."
I don't think so (Score:5, Funny)
This is bullshit and I will never believe it.
Re:Percentage of geeks (Score:5, Funny)
Probably has something to do with lack of sex with women.
Re:But what if... (Score:5, Funny)
No, the article is specifically speaking about sentient beings, not parasitic worms.
Very precise numbers (Score:5, Funny)
So either this guy is Hari Seldon and has a working theory of psychohistory, or this is mostly bullshit.
Quantum Paper? (Score:5, Funny)
I don't see why the % would change just because I read their bullshit paper. I like 10%, so I'll leave the state unchanged by not reading it.
10% (Score:4, Funny)
This gives whole new meaning to decimating the population.