Solving Problems 50/50 Approach

The Devil's Bridge (Teufelsbrücke) in Andermatt, Switzerland. Legends says that the Devil built it for villagers who tricked him by sending a goat across first.

Many people want to know how to solve the problems in their lives. I have always had a thing for understanding processes, algorithms, and finding solutions. One of the earliest ones that I understood was the 50/50 approach to solving problems.

The Basic Idea

I think it is best illustrated with the following example. If someone asks you to guess a number between 1 and 1,000,000, at first, it seems like it would take a lot of guesses. But it only takes a maximum of 20 if a person tells you higher or lower. You start with a guess of 500,000 and then go from there.

This is more than a way to solve math problems; it’s a way to solve many problems. For example, it has always seemed obvious to me when we look at problems, such as a cure to cancer or what the best diet is, that these are fairly easy problems to solve when using this approach.

For any problem, rather than just asking what the solution is, you can more simply ask, is there any solution? Is a solution possible? Make it black and white, 50/50. Has anyone ever solved the problem? 50/50. Yes or no.

If you were talking about cancer, you might ask, is there anyone who has a cure for cancer? A simple yes or no. Are there populations of people who are more or less healthy? Yes or no. Which populations? Has cancer always been in existence? Yes or no. When? Can you split these various groups in half? In half again? At what point can you get to 100% certainty? When you do, those differences, all those questions you asked, point to the answer. Those dividing lines are the difference. Is there a difference in diet? Is there a difference in sleep? In mental attitude? In economics? In location? Not everyone gets cancer, and some people who do easily get rid of it. Why? What are the differences? These things often do not even require complex analysis.

Build Common Sense

These types of thinking can help you understand the true nature of reality. In the case of cancer, for example, you may be led to wonder, with all the scientists and research, why do people not know? It should be clear that the answer is out there, but it is not just available to you. Someone is hiding it (intentionally) or not sharing it (intentionally or you’re not hearing it).

Sometimes, just acknowledging that a solution must be possible is all that it takes to find it. If you don’t believe it, you won’t look or won’t look that hard.

COVID

I worked as a research scientist at prestigous hosptial, and I know that there are people who day in and day out study some of the deadliest and most infectious diseases and viruses known to mankind, but these scientists are not sick, and not even generally scared. They are healthy. Preventing transmission is easy when you know how. I worked with intense radiation, which in many ways is like all of these things plus, because it can penetrate barriers, yet I did research involving radiation, and I’m fine. People go to work each day with diseases and risks far worse than COVID, so why did we all insist on the need to stay home? That is a more interesting question. Maybe people wanted an excuse to escape their lives? I don’t know, but a degree of common sense is required and a sort of “waking up.”

Finding a Date

I was recently thinking about someone who struggled to find a man. They say they couldn’t find good partners. While I agree it’s subjective, many of the people that people end up dating are not even in the realm of reasonable. But still they date them.

If you are in that situation, you can start by asking questions, like in the whole pool of single men, where do the nicest guys likely live? Rich towns? Poor town? Are they responsible or irresponsible? Where do they go? Where do they work? Don’t try to find the perfect man. Just focus on where you're most likely to find one. Do they make more money? Less money? Are they clean? Dirty? Do they maintain their house? Draw these lines between the desirable and less desirable groups, depending upon your standards. Does it mean that 100% of men will fit one criterion or another? No, but you can improve your odds dramatically.

I remember once when I decided to go running first thing in the morning, the trail was filled with very handsome fit guys who also appeared successful, jogging. They had their stuff together, that’s why they are out at 6 AM, why they live in a nice town, and it’s evidence that they are not in a bar at night. And for the record, there’s nothing wrong with going to the bar; they just don’t. They have their life in order. I was thinking that if a woman wanted to find a date, she should come here at 6 AM in the morning.

Like the Hot-Cold Game

The 50/50 approach is like the hot-cold game. Your goal is to recognize which direction not to take to get to the solution immediately. Ask questions that can cut the possible solutions in half. In the hot-cold game, Someone hides something, and it is your job to find it, usually with only hot and cold clues. You’re not disappointed when someone says “cold” because you know you can turn around and head in the other direction?

Rather than starting by trying to find the perfect solution, you can look for solutions throughout the world and reality and ask questions like, “Is it even possible?” You can split the total reality into halves. Can you define a half that is more likely to have your solution? Can you see the differences between success and failure? Step back, and look at the big picture.