Marilyn is Wrong!

Ask Marilyn ® by Marilyn vos Savant is a column in Parade Magazine, published by PARADE, 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA. According to Parade, Marilyn vos Savant is listed in the "Guinness Book of World Records Hall of Fame" for "Highest IQ."

She's Wrong!

Here are some columns where the original answer published by Marilyn is clearly wrong, with clear and simple explanations. In some cases, Marilyn has published a correction, but in most cases, the error was noted here first.

How much does smoke weigh? (12/25/05)
Marilyn is tricked by a stingy boss (06/30/98)
Marilyn is outsmarted by the native women (07/08/98)
Marilyn is outsmarted by the native men and women (06/30/98)
Marilyn is tricked by a game show host (10/03/98)
Wish for Happiness (11/29/04)
Which Part of a Car Travels Farthest? (06/18/06)
Why would the Winner defer to the Loser in a Football Coin Toss? (09/24/06)
Marilyn Displays her Myopia about Vision Testing (11/26/06)
Who Slimed the Psychiatrist? (07/02/07)
On the Shoulders of Giants (10/10/04)
Can you find the Repeated Words? (09/12/04)
Marilyn Ignores the Obvious Regarding Probability of Boys (08/02/98)
Marilyn's Electricity is Running Fast (08/07/00)
Marilyn Overwhelmed by the Water (02/01/00)
Marilyn stumbles over a simple algebra word problem (06/30/98)
Marilyn needs too many Ping-Pong Balls (06/30/98)
Marilyn Confused by Square Feet vs. Feet Square (06/30/98)
Marilyn is Mistaken about the Clouds (12/25/05)
Marilyn can't explain why it's dark at night (06/30/98)
Marilyn is tricked by shoes in a closet (06/30/98)
Marilyn has Little to Say about Lasers (06/30/98)
Marilyn is Stumped by the GRY Riddle (12/14/04)
Marilyn Explains Fermat's Last Theorem (06/30/98)
Marilyn is Mistaken about Brain Hemisphere Specialization (08/18/98)
Marilyn thinks fathers don't make much difference (03/08/98)
Marilyn puts two Litters of Puppies in one Basket (06/30/98)
Marilyn Underestimates the Probability of Sharing Birthdays (06/30/98)
Where did all the Gold go? (06/30/98)
Guillotine Dream Not Necessarily False (06/30/98)
Marilyn is Baffled by a Barometer (06/30/98)
Marilyn Fails the Acid Test on Anting (06/30/98)
Marilyn Fails at the Polls (06/30/98)
Marilyn Misses the Glory (08/20/98)
Marilyn admits that she made a mistake (06/30/98)

Correct, but Incomplete

In some cases, Marilyn's answer may be correct, but incomplete, and only deserves partial credit.

Marilyn Describes one (of two) types of Night View Mirrors (12/18/06)
Marilyn Oversimplifies these Equations with Shapes (11/12/06)
How many segments are lit on a Seven Segment Digital Clock? (08/09/06)
Marilyn Suggests a Wide Angle Lens (08/28/05)
Can a Battleship Float on a Gallon of Water? (09/05/05)
Marilyn's Answer Incomplete about View from Space (06/30/98)
What Marilyn didn't tell you about the Equations (06/30/98)
The Problem of Nuclear Waste (06/30/98)
What Marilyn omitted about the Fahrenheit Thermometer? (09/15/98)
What Marilyn didn't tell you about Area Codes (06/30/98)
What Marilyn didn't tell you about Contact Lenses (07/25/98)
Marilyn Claims Sun Shines Equally at Equator and Poles (07/29/05)
Marilyn Lost in the River (11/25/00)
Lead is too Heavy for Marilyn (11/25/00)

You be the Judge

Sometimes, Marilyn's columns are worthy of discussion even when Marilyn may not be wrong.

A reader disagrees with Marilyn regarding why sound travels farther over water (12/18/06)
Marilyn is Confused about the Biology of Alcoholism (12/28/05)
How much Salt is in Sea Ice? (12/27/05)
Marilyn Suggests that a Hearing Aid can Improve Balance (12/25/05)
Is the Shadow of an Airplane the Same Size as the Airplane? (09/24/05)
Marilyn's Sprinkler Answer Incomplete (06/30/98)
Marilyn Comes up Short on the Hole through the Sphere (06/30/98)
Marilyn Misunderstands Pascal's Wager (06/30/98)
The impossible made possible (06/30/98)
Herb is tricked by a magician doing card tricks (06/30/98)
Marilyn Misses the Satellite (06/30/98)
Marilyn Explains the Origin of the Sand (06/30/98)
Marilyn may be Mistaken about Panama Canal Geography (06/30/98)
Would Marilyn get Dizzy in the Dark? (07/27/98)
Reader Challenges Marilyn with Baseball Trivia (06/30/98)
Marilyn Miscalculates Earth's Rotational Velocity (06/30/98)
Marilyn doesn't answer the question about smells (06/30/98)
Reader Disagrees about Number of Brothers (06/30/98)
Marilyn Knows how many Candles Remain ... or does she? (06/30/98)
Marilyn doesn't Compute using a Computer (06/30/98)
Can you see the Lighthouse? (06/30/98)
Marilyn Misses One in a Million by Five Percent (07/26/98)
Marilyn Underestimates the Unlisted Phone Numbers (11/10/98)
Does Sporange rhyme with Orange? (11/10/98)
Marilyn Serves a Planetary Fruit Salad? (05/03/00)
What kind of calculator is Marilyn using? (05/26/03)
Which Word Doesn't Belong in the List? (08/09/06)
Poison or Starvation? (10/09/07)
What is the Westernmost State? (11/13/07)
Is there such a thing as a Good Virus? (11/13/07)

Unsubstantiated Reports

If I don't have the column, then it's just an unsubstantiated report. Help change unsubstantiated reports to facts by sending me the original.

Which Freezes Faster, Hot Water or Cold Water (06/30/98)
Missing Questions in Parade Magazine (06/30/98)
Why do cats ignore their reflections in mirrors (06/30/98)
To flip, or not to flip (06/30/98)
Juggling in a Raft (06/30/98)
The floating Hourglass (06/30/98)
How would you find the nearest land? (06/30/98)
How many hens? (06/30/98)
Balancing a Bicycle (07/19/98)

Wanted

I would be interested in obtaining copies of the following publications. I have received unsubstantiated information that these publications contain information on Marilyn's IQ test scores that would be of interest to my readers:

Megarian, Volume 1, Number 6, October 1982, published by the Mega Society.
Megarian, Number 9, January-Febuary 1983, published by the Mega Society.

(01/23/05)

Contact Information

Thanks for all the email, and please continue to write. In the past, I have tried to respond to most email. However, as the volume of email has grown, I have come to the realization that this is no longer possible. I will respond when time allows. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

Before writing, please review the List of Questions I will not answer (08/07/05) .

email: herbw@wiskit.com
Mail and Packages: Herb Weiner, 4647 SE 33rd Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97202

(01/23/05)

Marilyn Links

The following are links to other Marilyn sites. This site is not responsible for the content of other Marilyn sites.

The "Polis Report" from the July 11-17, 1996 issue of Metro, in which Ami Chen Mills theorizes that I am "suffering from a Smartest Babe burr in his smarty pants."
Behind Monty Hall's Doors: Puzzle, Debate and Answer? John Tierney, Special to The New York Times, Sunday, July 21, 1991, Section 1, Part 1, Page 1, Column 5, in which Monty Hall, host of Let's Make a Deal, demonstrates Marilyn's error. (07/06/98)
USA TODAY Hot Sites for Wednesday, September 16, 1998, in which the Marilyn is Wrong! site is one of five featured sites for the day. (09/21/98)
http://www.chicago.tribune.com/columns/zorn/archives/80597z.htm Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune, Smartest woman's logical replies get readers' goats
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-06/14/133l-061498-idx.html The World's Smartest Person Slips Up, Richard Morin, Unconventional Wisdom: New facts and hot stats from the social sciences, Washington Post, Sunday, June 14, 1998. Marilyn is quoted as saying "I don't visit Web sites run by non professionals devoted to negative commentary. They strike me as a little creepy -- like stalkers, in a way."
The New Scientist Planet Science web site selected the Marilyn is Wrong! site as Site of the Day for August 27, 1998. After a week, we will then be listed in the New Scientist Hot Spots. (08/28/98)
http://ajr.newslink.org/ajrchipjan99.html The American Journalism Review NewsLink, which lists the Marilyn is Wrong! site as an alternative to straight-up news. (02/10/99)
Gifted Development Center (04/09/98)
The alt.folklaw.urban Marilyn vos Savant Challenge
Bad Science Page Discusses Classic Elevator Problem and Marilyn's Response (02/02/98)
Estimated IQs for Some of the Greatest Geniuses (10/03/98)
Eldon explains Marilyn's error on the Two Boys Question (08/15/99)
Tomas Lisa wrote a song entitled Questions for Marilyn. (06/14/00)
Marilyn is Right! (08/13/00) This site claims that "if there is a 'Marilyn is Wrong' site devoted to Marilyn's errors there also should be a 'Marilyn is Right. site devoted to her successes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Marilyn's email address?
PARADE announced on June 8, 1997 that email to Marilyn can be sent to marilyn@parade.com
Precisely where (edition and category) is Marilyn listed in Guinness Book of World Records?
Citeon <Citeon@prodigy.net> reports that:

She is listed on page 26 of the 1989 Edition. It says "...as a ten year old achieved a ceiling score for 23-year-olds, thus giving her an IQ of 228." Her record was retired to the guinness hall of fame because scores that high are no longer possible due to a lowering of test score ceilings. (As I'm sure you're already guessing it's because scores that high weren't very valid in the first place.)

Linda <DOlmstead@aol.com> disagrees with Citeon about the validity of high test scores:

IQs that high are legitimate. None of the standard IQ tests in use today for children (Stanford-Binet Fourth Edition and WISC-III) were designed to identify the highly gifted. It is standard practice to use the older Stanford-Binet Form L-M when a child is at or near the ceiling score on the other newer test.
Please check out Linda Silverman's Gifted Development Center web site for more information on identification, assessment, counseling, learning styles, programs, presentations, and resources for gifted children and adults.

Here are some additional comments about Marilyn's IQ (10/03/98)
According to Behind Monty Hall's Doors, Marilyn's IQ is 228.
What books has Marilyn written?
- Ask Marilyn, St. Martin's Press, 1992, ISBN 0-312-08136-7.
- The World's Most Famous Math Problem: The Proof of Fermat's Last Theorem and Other Mathematical Mysteries, St. Martin's Press, 1993, 0-312-10657-2.
- The Power of Logical Thinking, St. Martin's Press, 1996, 0-312-15627-8.
- Of Course I'm for Monogamy: I'm Also for Everlasting Peace and an End to Taxes, Martin's Press, 1996, ISBN 0-312-16951-5.
- I've forgotten everything I learned in school!, St. Martin's Press, 1994, ISBN 0-312-10457-X.
- Brain building: Exercising Yourself Smart, Bantam Books, 1991, ISBN 0-553-35348-9.
- More Marilyn: Some Like it Bright!, St. Martin's Press, 1994, ISBN 0-312-11384-6.
Is Marilyn married? Who is her husband?
Rory Sellers <rory@carmelnet.com> reports that Marilyn is married to the "Jarvik guy who invented the artificial heart".
How do you feel about Marilyn?
Marilyn is more intelligent than I am, as measured by standard intelligence tests. There are some areas in which I am more knowledgeable (trained or educated) than Marilyn, just as there are some areas that Marilyn is more knowledgeable than I.
I do not hate Marilyn, and I am not jealous of her. I respected her more in the past than I do now. I do not think I am better than Marilyn, and Marilyn certainly has answered questions that would have stumped me. Furthermore, I am sure that Marilyn is far more profitable for Parade Magazine than I could ever be.
I am concerned that some people believe that everything Marilyn says is correct (except in the few cases that Marilyn has admitted error), just because she is smarter than we are.
This is not true! Marilyn does make mistakes, and here they are.
I do wonder, though, why Marilyn considers this web site "a little creepy" (see below). Is she afraid to confront her mistakes?
Does Marilyn know about this web site?
Eric Zorn, of the Chicago Tribune, reports that http://www.chicago.tribune.com/columns/zorn/archives/80597z.htm Marilyn is aware of this web site, but has never visited.
Rich Morin, of the Washington Post, reports that http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-06/14/133l-061498-idx.html Marilyn considers this web site "a little creepy".
The attorneys for Parade Magazine are also aware of this web site (see below).
Why was your site shut down between June 9 and June 30, 1998? And why do you no longer include the original question and Marilyn's answer?
The attorneys for Parade Magazine claimed that the amount of copyrighted material that I used exceeded what is permissible under the fair use provision of the copyright laws. Rather than contest their claim, I shut down the site until I could remove the offending material. I have tried to avoid biasing the material in my paraphrasing.
How can I judge for myself whether Marilyn is Wrong if you no longer include the original question and answer published in Parade Magazine? Is there any way for me to obtain the original columns?
Back issues are now available directly from Parade Magazine for $3.00 per issue. Thanks to Ben Sandler <bs25@cornell.edu> for pointing me to Parade Magazine's web site. (06/14/00)
Does Marilyn have a research staff or depend upon outside assistance to answer the questions that appear in her columns?
Pete Bratach <bratach@gate.sunquest.com> provides some information about Marilyn's Research Staff (11/01/99)

Thank you

Thanks to Yahoo!'s Picks of the Week for selecting Marilyn is Wrong as a Pick of the Week for September 14, 1998.
Thanks to Scott Ruthfield for selecting Marilyn is Wrong as Geek Site of the Day for Thursday, November 23, 1995.
Thanks to Internet Underground for awarding Marilyn is Wrong four stars in the February 1996 WebGuide (the underground guide to what's hot on the web).
Thanks to Scott Adams for permission to include the following quote:
Marilyn vos Savant has the highest recorded IQ of any human. She once solved a Rubik's Cube just by scaring it into alignment
-- The Dilbert Principle, Scott Adams, HarperCollins Publishers, Copyright © 1996, ISBN 0-88730-787-6, page 114.

http://www.wiskit.com/marilyn/marilyn.html last updated November 28, 2007 by herbw@wiskit.com