Notes:
I'm really, really aware of how unimportant this problem is but I'm really struggling to wrap my head around it. The question is one of optimisation and the problem is not specifically about a washing machine.
Assume the following:
* You must make the most of your washing powder and electricity, so it's preferrable to do a full load of washing
* You must separate white and coloured clothes so the dyes don't stain the white clothing (this is not a segregation allegory)
* I have loads of colourful clothes, but only one white t-shirt and a pair of white socks.
* I currently have enough clothes to wear on a daily basis.
* I wear the white tee once a week and it is neccessary to wash it weekly.
* I can't just throw away my white tee because it's sentimenal.
* I cannot wash the clothes in any other way (for argument's sake, I don't have a wash basin or a hose).
The problem:
* It is wasteful to wash just my tee and socks on their own.
* If I buy five more white tees then I will have a full load of washing - though I do not need those extra clothes.
Some questions:
* What is 'wasteful'? Do I mean resources or monetarily? Who is it detrimental to? (Myself, the environment)
* If monetarily, what costs more over the long term?
* If environmentally, is buying five more white tees more damaging to the environment than a half-filled washing machine?
* Are there other ways to reduce how many loads must be washed, and if so does this mitigate the suboptimal loads?
* Even if the question of "what is wasteful" is decided, the question of optimisation is still there. What is more optimal?
* Does filling a washing load to capacity mean it is optimised? What if one day I buy another white t-shirt and I start the problem again?
Potential solutions:
* Wear only white clothing (all washing then will be optimised)
* Buy more white clothing to make an optimised wash (at the risk of overflow when I buy more white clothing)
Analogous problems:
* The beef industry produces extra cow hides. Because vegans are using synthetics many of these cow hides must be thrown into landfill instead of used in the leather industry. If we use more leather, there is now a surplus of beef.
* I have more milk than cookies. I must open a new packet of cookies. Now I need more milk.
I can't fully explain why this is so perplexing to me. It's not limited to a washing machine problem and I feel it applies to a lot of optimisation problems. I genuinely feel like I'm trying to pass a Voight-Kampff test and failing.
Please help me understand why this is interesting and suggest any other analogous problems.
I'm really, really aware of how unimportant this problem is but I'm really struggling to wrap my head around it. The question is one of optimisation and the problem is not specifically about a washing machine.
Assume the following:
* You must make the most of your washing powder and electricity, so it's preferrable to do a full load of washing
* You must separate white and coloured clothes so the dyes don't stain the white clothing (this is not a segregation allegory)
* I have loads of colourful clothes, but only one white t-shirt and a pair of white socks.
* I currently have enough clothes to wear on a daily basis.
* I wear the white tee once a week and it is neccessary to wash it weekly.
* I can't just throw away my white tee because it's sentimenal.
* I cannot wash the clothes in any other way (for argument's sake, I don't have a wash basin or a hose).
The problem:
* It is wasteful to wash just my tee and socks on their own.
* If I buy five more white tees then I will have a full load of washing - though I do not need those extra clothes.
Some questions:
* What is 'wasteful'? Do I mean resources or monetarily? Who is it detrimental to? (Myself, the environment)
* If monetarily, what costs more over the long term?
* If environmentally, is buying five more white tees more damaging to the environment than a half-filled washing machine?
* Are there other ways to reduce how many loads must be washed, and if so does this mitigate the suboptimal loads?
* Even if the question of "what is wasteful" is decided, the question of optimisation is still there. What is more optimal?
* Does filling a washing load to capacity mean it is optimised? What if one day I buy another white t-shirt and I start the problem again?
Potential solutions:
* Wear only white clothing (all washing then will be optimised)
* Buy more white clothing to make an optimised wash (at the risk of overflow when I buy more white clothing)
Analogous problems:
* The beef industry produces extra cow hides. Because vegans are using synthetics many of these cow hides must be thrown into landfill instead of used in the leather industry. If we use more leather, there is now a surplus of beef.
* I have more milk than cookies. I must open a new packet of cookies. Now I need more milk.
I can't fully explain why this is so perplexing to me. It's not limited to a washing machine problem and I feel it applies to a lot of optimisation problems. I genuinely feel like I'm trying to pass a Voight-Kampff test and failing.
Please help me understand why this is interesting and suggest any other analogous problems.
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