BBC News | Entertainment | Quiz 'winner' keeps his prize Tuesday, March 9, 1999 Published at 15:09 GMT Entertainment Quiz 'winner' keeps his prize Chris Tarrant at the show's launch last year Quiz show contestant Tony Kennedy has been told he can keep the �125,000 he won on ITV's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? programme - even though he got a vital question wrong. Production company Celador has launched an investigation into the incident, which centres on a question about the game of tennis. Contestants on the programme, which has become an enormous ratings success for ITV since its introduction last year, win increasing amounts of money by answering 15 multiple-choice questions of varying difficulty, with a top prize of �1m. Host Chris Tarrant asked Mr Kennedy this question for �64,000: "Theoretically, what is the minimum number of strokes with which a tennis player can win a set?" The 29-year-old warehouseman from Blackpool gave the answer as option B - 24 strokes, and was told he was correct. But the correct answer was option A - 12 strokes.

Celador has decided to honour the prize - and Mr Kennedy, whose wife Julie is expecting their second child, has decided to spend the cash on double-glazing for their home. No plans for a flash car A producer from the programme called him late on Monday night to tell him the news - and to expect "controversy" in the morning papers. He said he was "shattered" to hear of the error, but after a day of anguish was delighted when Celador called to apologise and tell him he could keep the money. "I feel absolutely brilliant. I've been up and down emotionally all day. "This is just amazing. I am going to blow some on double glazing now. But I've got no plans to move house or buy a flash car. It has been an horrific day, but this is the best ending." Error quickly spotted Sharp-minded viewers leapt to their telephones when the error was broadcast - and within minutes producers were well aware of the blunder. Newspapers were also tipped off - as was BBC News Online. Reader Jason Stoakley was among those who spotted the error.

He explains: "To qualify as a minimum, the set would need to be won 6-0 with each game consisting of only four points. "Of these six games the winning player only serves three times. So 3 games x 4 points = 12 strokes, and not 24. "The other three games are lost by the opponent who serves 12 double faults - the winning player does not take part in these points." Celador 'deeply regrets' mistake The programme's executive producer Paul Smith said: "This unfortunate mistake was our responsibility. In spite of the original question being checked by three separate people against three separate sources, this mistake got through. "As a consequence of this, we have strengthened our checking procedure to ensure an error like this does not happen again. "We deeply regret the situation and will, of course, honour the �125,000 win by the contestant." If Kennedy had been told he was wrong he still would have won �32,000. But he went on to scoop a �125,000 prize thanks to the error.

The programme has quickly become British TV's most popular quiz show - with Sunday night's programme attracting 18.8m viewers according to overnight figures. At least 1.7m viewers applied to become contestants for the last series. What is the minimum number of tennis strokes required to win a set? - Google Groups What is the minimum number of tennis strokes required to win a set? Showing 1-74 of 74 messages On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:57:51 -0700 (PDT), Wayne < wayn...@yahoo.com > wrote: On Sep 16, 3:57 pm, Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > wrote: > ? Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 Min.

strokes hit by both players combined: 36 On 16 sep, 22:03, Sakari Lund < sakari.l...@welho.com > wrote: > On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:57:51 -0700 (PDT), Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > > wrote: 4x6 is 24, that is the minimum number of strokes to win a set - barring a default. On 16 Sep, 21:03, Sakari Lund < sakari.l...@welho.com > wrote: > On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:57:51 -0700 (PDT), Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > > wrote: On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:57:51 -0700, Wayne wrote: > ? For a max winner, I'd think 24: Four aces/winners per service game and four return winners per return game.

For a max loser, 12, four serves passing back by per service game and not even getting the racket on the ball in the return games. So 36 total strokes in a total blowout/debacle set. Davenport's double-bageling of Sharapova that time came close. -- > On Sep 16, 3:57 pm, Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > wrote: >> ? > Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 Huh? How do you win 6 games of 4 points each in just 12 strokes? > Min. strokes hit by both players combined: 36 -- On Sep 16, 4:08 pm, Bob LaBlawgh < f...@nothing.de.au > wrote: > Joe Ramirez wrote: > > On Sep 16, 3:57 pm, Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > wrote: > >> ? > > Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 > > Huh? How do you win 6 games of 4 points each in just 12 strokes?

You hit four aces in each service game; your opponent double-faults four times in each service game. Ah, you're not counting faults as strokes? OK. -- Opponent breaks a racket and is warned, threatens a line judge and loses a point, breaks another racket and threatens the chair umpire after being penalized a game! :) On Sep 16, 4:14 pm, mimus < tinmimu...@hotmail.com > wrote: > On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:10:56 -0700, Joe Ramirez wrote: > > On Sep 16, 4:08 pm, Bob LaBlawgh < f...@nothing.de.au > wrote: > > >>> On Sep 16, 3:57 pm, Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > wrote: > > >>> Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 > > >> Huh? How do you win 6 games of 4 points each in just 12 strokes? > > > You hit four aces in each service game; your opponent double-faults > > four times in each service game.

> > Ah, you're not counting faults as strokes? OK. No, the faults *are* strokes. To repeat what I said up top: Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 Min. strokes hit by both players combined: 36 There's no way to *lose* one's serve in fewer than eight combined strokes (each point either double-fault or serve + return winner). Got it? > On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:10:56 -0700, Joe Ramirez wrote: > >> On Sep 16, 4:08 pm, Bob LaBlawgh < f...@nothing.de.au > wrote: >> >>>> On Sep 16, 3:57 pm, Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > wrote: >>>> >>>> Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 >>> Huh? How do you win 6 games of 4 points each in just 12 strokes? >> You hit four aces in each service game; your opponent double-faults >> four times in each service game. > > Ah, you're not counting faults as strokes?

OK. > Joe specified 36 strokes. 12 aces + 12 first serves + 12 service return winners for a 6-0 result is a positive way to think of it. -- > On Sep 16, 4:14 pm, mimus < tinmimu...@hotmail.com > wrote: >> On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:10:56 -0700, Joe Ramirez wrote: >>> On Sep 16, 4:08 pm, Bob LaBlawgh < f...@nothing.de.au > wrote: >>>> Joe Ramirez wrote: >>>>> On Sep 16, 3:57 pm, Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > wrote: >>>>>> ? >>>>> Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 >>>> Huh? How do you win 6 games of 4 points each in just 12 strokes? >>> You hit four aces in each service game; your opponent double-faults >>> four times in each service game. >> Ah, you're not counting faults as strokes? OK. > > No, the faults *are* strokes.

To repeat what I said up top: > > Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 > Min. strokes hit by both players combined: 36 > > There's no way to *lose* one's serve in fewer than eight combined > strokes (each point either double-fault or serve + return winner). > > Got it? A bad tantrum times 3 can lose you a game! Times 4 can lose you a tournament! Yep, Joe's got it. The opponent's double faults do not count as strokes as they are not hit by the player who wins the set. On 16-Sep-2009, Joe Ramirez < josephm...@netzero.com > wrote: > No, the faults *are* strokes. To repeat what I said up top: > > Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 > Min. strokes hit by both players combined: 36 > > There's no way to *lose* one's serve in fewer than eight combined > strokes (each point either double-fault or serve + return winner). > Is it technically a stroke if you actually *miss* the ball on your serving faults?

I would say yes, though some definitions I have seen of "stroke" assume the ball is struck. For the 36 total to be correct, the returner cannot attempt to hit any of the aces...otherwise I would say that would count as a stroke the same way as missing a serve. So, total-strokes-for-both-players-wise, just the same as watching your serve rocket back past by. Counting double-faults or defaults seems like cheating. Why not just get sick in the locker-room beforehand and give up a walkover? Zero strokes for the match! -- > On Sep 16, 4:08 pm, Bob LaBlawgh < f...@nothing.de.au > wrote: >> Joe Ramirez wrote: >>> On Sep 16, 3:57 pm, Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > wrote: >>>> ? >>> Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 >> Huh? How do you win 6 games of 4 points each in just 12 strokes? > > You hit four aces in each service game; your opponent double-faults > four times in each service game. Boing!!

<light goes on> Opponent serves too. Duh!! -- "Vrai Cinico" < varie...@gmail.com > wrote in message news:h8rgso$4i1$2@news.eternal-september.org... You know, I have read all of the answers very carefully and to be completely honest, as silly as your answer might sound, it is the correct one. It's not the answer that the vast majority of people would think of, but technically it is correct. Had the OP said "...not including match defaults or penalties" then the 12/36 answer would stand, but otherwise 0 is it. On Sep 16, 3:57 pm, Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > wrote: > ? I serve first, and every serve is an ace, so my serving games will take = 3 games times 4 serves = 12 stroke. My oppponent serves every point a double fault = 3 games times 8 strokes = 24 A 'Serena set' can be over with 0 strokes! See Vrai's reply above.

On 16-Sep-2009, PeteWasLucky < waleed...@gmail.com > wrote: > a set = 6-0 > I serve first, and every serve is an ace, so my serving games will > take = 3 games times 4 serves = 12 stroke. > My oppponent serves every point a double fault = 3 games times 8 > strokes = 24 > Minimum number = 24 + 12 = 36 stroke Still no one answered my question. Do you consider it a stroke on your opponent's part if you serve and he swings and cleanly misses the ball? If so, then you have to qualify it by saying that the receiver must not attempt to return your serve. If not, then by the same token a swing and a miss on a serve attempt should not be counted as a stroke either, right? On Sep 16, 6:06 pm, "jdeluise" < jdelu...@gmail.com > wrote: > Still no one answered my question. Do you consider it a stroke on your > opponent's part if you serve and he swings and cleanly misses the ball?

If > so, then you have to qualify it by saying that the receiver must not attempt > to return your serve. If not, then by the same token a swing and a miss on > a serve attempt should not be counted as a stroke either, right? Your question really could be answered either way, each being correct. One person might consider it a stroke, another not. Personally I would consider taking a swing at a ball a stroke. Heck you can even practice your tennis strokes without any tennis balls! And people often do that during a lesson. But it's really a moot point, as Vrai has pointed out that the correct answer is '0'. On Sep 16, 5:36 pm, TennisGuy < Jeffery21...@yahoo.com > wrote: > On Sep 16, 4:13 pm, Vrai Cinico < variesn...@gmail.com > wrote: > > > Opponent breaks a racket and is warned, threatens a line judge and loses > > a point, breaks another racket and threatens the chair umpire after > > being penalized a game!

:) > You know, I have read all of the answers very carefully and to be > completely honest, as silly as your answer might sound, it is the > correct one. > It's not the answer that the vast majority of people would think of, > but technically it is correct. > > Had the OP said "...not including match defaults or penalties" then > the 12/36 answer would stand, but otherwise 0 is it. I don't believe that winning a match by default constitutes winning the set in which the default occurred. A default is a different way of concluding a match that does not require the victor to win the required number of sets, or even any sets at all. On 16-Sep-2009, Joe Ramirez < josephm...@netzero.com > wrote: > I don't believe that winning a match by default constitutes winning > the set in which the default occurred. A default is a different way of > concluding a match that does not require the victor to win the > required number of sets, or even any sets at all. Agreed.

If you default a match they don't report the score as 6-0,6-0,6-0 for the victor. On Sep 16, 6:06 pm, "jdeluise" < jdelu...@gmail.com > wrote: > On 16-Sep-2009, PeteWasLucky < waleed.kh...@gmail.com > wrote: > > > I serve first, and every serve is an ace, so my serving games will > > take = 3 games times 4 serves = 12 stroke. > > My oppponent serves every point a double fault = 3 games times 8 > > strokes = 24 > > Minimum number = 24 + 12 = 36 stroke > > Still no one answered my question. Do you consider it a stroke on your > opponent's part if you serve and he swings and cleanly misses the ball? If > so, then you have to qualify it by saying that the receiver must not attempt > to return your serve. If not, then by the same token a swing and a miss on > a serve attempt should not be counted as a stroke either, right?

IMO, swinging at an ace and whiffing completely is not a stroke. Functionally, it's no different than taking practice swings while the server is preparing to serve. A complete whiff plays no part in the point -- the point is over after the serve bounces a second time, whether or not the receiver took a swing at it. On the other hand, a missed serve does count as a stroke because it's required to put the ball "in play." If you just throw the ball up and catch it, there's no service attempt and therefore no fault. Nothing happened. Only when you swing and miss does the action become a fault. Therefore, the swing is crucial to the outcome and should be counted as a stroke. On 16-Sep-2009, TennisGuy < Jeffer...@yahoo.com > wrote: > On Sep 16, 6:06锟絧m, "jdeluise" < jdelu...@gmail.com > wrote: > > > Still no one answered my question. 锟紻o you consider it a stroke on your > > opponent's part if you serve and he swings and cleanly misses the ball?

> > 锟絀f > > so, then you have to qualify it by saying that the receiver must not > > attempt > > to return your serve. 锟絀f not, then by the same token a swing and a miss > > on > > a serve attempt should not be counted as a stroke either, right? > > Your question really could be answered either way, each being > correct. > One person might consider it a stroke, another not. > Personally I would consider taking a swing at a ball a stroke. > Heck you can even practice your tennis strokes without any tennis > balls! > And people often do that during a lesson. I think any swing should be considered a stroke. My only complaint is some have said that the minimum number of strokes can be had simply by acing the opponent every time, but I think that should be further qualified to only be applicable if the opponent doesn't try. Otherwise the minimum number of total strokes for both players could still be 12 if the loser missed the ball on every serve (not that this scenario would be likely). > But it's really a moot point, as Vrai has pointed out that the correct > answer is '0'.

On Sep 16, 6:26 pm, Joe Ramirez < josephmrami...@netzero.com > wrote: > On the other hand, a missed serve does count as a stroke because it's > required to put the ball "in play." If you just throw the ball up and > catch it, there's no service attempt and therefore no fault. Nothing > happened. Only when you swing and miss does the action become a fault. > Therefore, the swing is crucial to the outcome and should be counted > as a stroke. But surely the swing by a returner of serve is crucial to the outcome of the point? Vrai Cinico 9/16/09 3:40 PM I think you can squeeze in a game that is forfeited in the middle of the set and still satisfy the requirements and conclude the set on an ace. That will cut out 8 shots from the total, won't it? -- On Sep 16, 6:23 pm, "jdeluise" < jdelu...@gmail.com > wrote: The score at the 1990 AO was Pernfors d.

McEnroe 1-6 6-4 5-7 4-2 DEF. Not only did Perfors not win three sets, he didn't even win two sets. But he still won the match. 9/16/09 3:45 PM I agree. 8 DFs, 4 aces, 8 DFs, 4 aces, meltdown game with 0 swings, 4 aces = 28 strokes. The outcome is exactly the same whether the returner stands there like a statue or swings and misses completely. Either way, as soon as the serve bounces a second time, it's recorded as an ace and the point is over. Only if the returner *touches* the ball does the outcome change. Is an ace a one stroke or a two stroke point? Would anyone say 2? The server swinging and missing is the only time it is counted as a stroke even if you miss the ball.

-- > On 16-Sep-2009, PeteWasLucky < waleed...@gmail.com > wrote: > >> I serve first, and every serve is an ace, so my serving games will >> take = 3 games times 4 serves = 12 stroke. >> My oppponent serves every point a double fault = 3 games times 8 >> strokes = 24 >> Minimum number = 24 + 12 = 36 stroke > > Still no one answered my question. Do you consider it a stroke on > your opponent's part if you serve and he swings and cleanly misses > the ball? An air swing counts as a stroke in golf, but in tennis it's not an issue that needs to be defined. I see no reason to count it as a stroke because it makes no difference to the point whether you swung the racquet or not, only whether you made contact. > If so, then you have to qualify it by saying that the > receiver must not attempt to return your serve. Well, the question was about the number of strokes required to "win" a set, so it's only from the point of view of the winner of the set.

The answer is 12 no matter what. I hear what you are saying and understand it too Joe. But let's be clear here. > > > Therefore, the swing is crucial to the outcome and should be counted > > > as a stroke. The service swing is crucial to the outcome _because there is a tennis rule that states that if you swing and miss, it is counted as your serve. For example you can swing at a ball that's coming to you ten times and on the 11th time make contact and hit it over the net. That 11th stroke will count and be legal. You won't be penalized for the 10 'practice' strokes you made as you prepared to hit the ball. So the service stroke/motion is unique. You only get one shot at it! Now to the returner of serve: > > > Therefore, the swing is crucial to the outcome and should be counted > > > as a stroke. Of course the outcome is the same whether he stands like a statue or whiffs the ball completely. All I was saying is that, like a server, a return of server's swing is crucial to the outcome of the point.

But it is not counted in the length of the rally unless contact is made with the ball. On Sep 16, 6:48 pm, Vrai Cinico < variesn...@gmail.com > wrote: > Is an ace a one stroke or a two stroke point? Would anyone say 2? > > The server swinging and missing is the only time it is counted as a > stroke even if you miss the ball. Like I said, it can be argued either way. Officially the answer is probably just one stroke. Technically however, two strokes have been made and clearer seen by observers. The whiff is not a stroke except during the service motion. -- "kaennorsing" < ljub...@hotmail.com > wrote in message news:a6b03d51-5b35-4588-ad01-c32e4554ef2d@f10g2000vbf.googlegroups.com...

> On 16 sep, 22:03, Sakari Lund < sakari.l...@welho.com > wrote: >> On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:57:51 -0700 (PDT), Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > >> wrote: > 4x6 is 24, that is the minimum number of strokes to win a set - > barring a default. math not your strong suit i see. bob "Wayne" < wayn...@yahoo.com > wrote in message news:7adc51c2-1995-470e-af47-f755855a4dff@e34g2000vbm.googlegroups.com... if you opponent promises to shove a ball down the ump's throat, mabye 10 or 11?

"Joe Ramirez" < josephm...@netzero.com > wrote in message news:a7b68bf1-21eb-4c04-bb25-d580391f60ab@q35g2000vbi.googlegroups.com... On Sep 16, 4:14 pm, mimus < tinmimu...@hotmail.com > wrote: > On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:10:56 -0700, Joe Ramirez wrote: > > On Sep 16, 4:08 pm, Bob LaBlawgh < f...@nothing.de.au > wrote: > > >>> On Sep 16, 3:57 pm, Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > wrote: > > >>> Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 > > >> Huh? How do you win 6 games of 4 points each in just 12 strokes? > > > You hit four aces in each service game; your opponent double-faults > > four times in each service game.

> > Ah, you're not counting faults as strokes? OK. >No, the faults *are* strokes. To repeat what I said up top: Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 Min. strokes hit by both players combined: 36 There's no way to *lose* one's serve in fewer than eight combined strokes (each point either double-fault or serve + return winner). >Got it? On 16-Sep-2009, "bob" <stein100@NOSPAMcomcast.net> wrote: > FF? :-) That might be a legitimate reason for shoving a ball down his or her throat ;) Contact made or put into play? Probably contact, but I'm not sure. However, if a point ends with a winner off the ground and Dork Enberg says "Oh, my! A 27-stroke rally!" I agree we can be assured that the statisticians feeding Enberg the info did not count the futile, unsuccesful stab at the ball made by the player who lost the point.

On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:28:01 -0400, mimus < tinmi...@hotmail.com > wrote: >On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:17:01 -0700, Joe Ramirez wrote: > >> On Sep 16, 4:14�pm, mimus < tinmimu...@hotmail.com > wrote: >>> On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:10:56 -0700, Joe Ramirez wrote: >>> > On Sep 16, 4:08�pm, Bob LaBlawgh < f...@nothing.de.au > wrote: >>> >>> >>> On Sep 16, 3:57 pm, Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > wrote: >>> >>> >>> Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 >>> >>> >> Huh? �How do you win 6 games of 4 points each in just 12 strokes?

>>> >>> > You hit four aces in each service game; your opponent double-faults >>> > four times in each service game. >>> >>> Ah, you're not counting faults as strokes? OK. >> >> No, the faults *are* strokes. To repeat what I said up top: >> >> Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 >> Min. strokes hit by both players combined: 36 >> >> There's no way to *lose* one's serve in fewer than eight combined >> strokes (each point either double-fault or serve + return winner). >> >So, total-strokes-for-both-players-wise, just the same as watching >your serve rocket back past by. > >Counting double-faults or defaults seems like cheating. > >Why not just get sick in the locker-room beforehand and give up a walkover? > >Zero strokes for the match!

let's inject 24 foot faults for good measure =] On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:40:40 -0700 (PDT), TennisGuy < Jeffer...@yahoo.com > wrote: >Technically however, two strokes have been made and clearer seen by >observers. >The service stroke and the whiffed stroke by the receiver. No. A stroke by definition includes impact with the ball. It is entirely possible and within the rules -- and most of us have probably done it -- to swing at the ball more than once at one turn during a point. Examples include whiffing on an overhead and then swinging again, or a similar situation involving am opponent's shot which hits the net cord.

-- Larry > On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:17:01 -0700, Joe Ramirez wrote: > >> On Sep 16, 4:14 pm, mimus < tinmimu...@hotmail.com > wrote: >>> On Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:10:56 -0700, Joe Ramirez wrote: >>>> On Sep 16, 4:08 pm, Bob LaBlawgh < f...@nothing.de.au > wrote: >>> >>>>>> On Sep 16, 3:57 pm, Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > wrote: >>> >>>>>> Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 >>> >>>>> Huh? How do you win 6 games of 4 points each in just 12 strokes? >>> >>>> You hit four aces in each service game; your opponent double-faults >>>> four times in each service game. >>> >>> Ah, you're not counting faults as strokes? OK. >> >> No, the faults *are* strokes.

To repeat what I said up top: >> >> Min. strokes hit by winning player alone: 12 >> Min. strokes hit by both players combined: 36 >> >> There's no way to *lose* one's serve in fewer than eight combined >> strokes (each point either double-fault or serve + return winner). >> > So, total-strokes-for-both-players-wise, just the same as watching > your serve rocket back past by. > > Counting double-faults or defaults seems like cheating. Not really. It's like asking the minimum moves to checkmate in chess. Your opponent has to co-operate (or be completely clueless and accidentally make the "right" moves). It takes 12 strokes to win a set. It takes 12 seconds for Serena Williams to explain to an oriental woman how she was going to ram a tennis ball down her throat. It took 12 bombs to sink the battleship Arizona in Pearl Harbor. And 12 is the number at the top of my watch. Holy crap, it's almost 12 o'clock!!!!!! OK, many of you have said that a stroke by definition must include hitting the ball, except on the serve.

I'm OK with that and many dictionary entries support that. However, when I think of a stroke I think of it more along the lines of the motion you make when you are executing a forehand, backhand, etc. Many dictionaries claim "shot" and "stroke" are synonyms when it comes to tennis, but I think there is a subtle distinction. If you ask me, I would say a "shot" is the outcome of a successful stroke. For example, it would make sense to say you can practice your strokes without having to hit a single ball, but you certainly can't practice shots without one. You can't practice your strokes without hitting the ball. You can practice your swings. Swinging at air doesn't improve your strokes all that much. Stroke/shot making involves a lot of variables and adjustments that swinging doesn't require. So entirely different beasts. -- The value in practicing your strokes without a ball has nothing to do with what I wrote. What I am saying is that the act of attempting to hit the ball is what I would personally consider to be a stroke. Calling it a "swing" doesn't cut it, imo, especially because sometimes you don't make much of a swinging motion when you hit the ball.

I never read about the "fundamental swings" in tennis, they are usually referred to as "strokes" but granted they are sometimes also called "shots" too. When you look at a player and say he has an aesthetic forehand stroke, for instance, are you not referring to how graceful or efficient he is moving his racket and body regardless of the outcome of that movement at any given moment? When someone hits the ball and it lands out, are you more likely to hear a commentator say "the shot landed out" or "the stroke landed out". I would say the former. All I am saying is that I think people do make a subtle distinction between "shot" and "stroke". Of course, if you want to lump the two up as having precisely the same meaning that is your choice, and you would be well supported by the dictionary. To me, "stroke" is a bit more abstract than "shot". Languages have lots of nuances. I like it that way. Swings (tiny, small, medium, large ...) result in strokes when contact is made with the ball. Stroking the ball results in a shot. The shot (i.e. the ball) lands in or out. Strokes don't go anywhere.

You can't practice your strokes without hitting a ball, IMO. -- On 17-Sep-2009, Vrai Cinico < varie...@gmail.com > wrote: > Languages have lots of nuances. I like it that way. > > Swings (tiny, small, medium, large ...) result in strokes when contact > is made with the ball. Stroking the ball results in a shot. The shot > (i.e. the ball) lands in or out. Strokes don't go anywhere. > > You can't practice your strokes without hitting a ball, IMO. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. As far as I'm concerned a "stroke" is an abstract description for the way you move yourself and the racket when you are trying to hit the ball (ie. a forehand stroke, backhand stroke). A "swing" can be part of a stroke, but it really only describes the movement of your racket, not your body. A "shot" is the result of a successful stroke, but still may fail to put the ball in play. What a waste of time:) This thread is shot, a swing and a miss. Definitely not worth a stroke!

:) -- On 16-Sep-2009, "DavidW" <no@email.provided> wrote: > Not really. It's like asking the minimum moves to checkmate in chess. Your > > opponent has to co-operate (or be completely clueless and accidentally > make the On Sep 16, 3:57 pm, Wayne < waynet...@yahoo.com > wrote: > ? Yes this is ridiculous that after a day and a half we are still discussing this! :) No one has stated the correct answer yet, including myself. But I will now. Before I do, I will agree with the definition of a stroke meaning to have some contact with the ball (for tennis). Interesting side note that in golf, if you address the ball, swing and miss the ball it is still counted as a stroke. Back to the question at hand. "What is the minimum number of tennis strokes required to win a set?" The answer is 26 !!! Here's how you achieve that minimum number. Player A has three perfect service games, serving aces each game: 3 x 4 = 12 strokes.

In Player B's first service game he double faults the entire game: 4 double faults = 8 strokes. During this game, in frustration, Player B smashes his racquet on the ground and is given a code violation warning for racquet abuse. In Player B's second service game he double faults the first three points. Before he attempts to serve the next point, he smashes his racquet again and is assigned a code violation point penalty, which loses him the game. 3 double faults = 6 strokes. In Player B's third service game, before the first point has begun, he has some choice words with the chair umpire and is subsequently assigned a code violation game penalty for verbal abuse which costs him the set. Tony Kennedy | Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Wiki This article or section is incomplete. You may help the WWTBAM Wikia by expanding it, or discussing the issue on the forums . Tony Kennedy Money won £125,000 Tony Kennedy, a warehouseman from Blackburn, Lancashire, was a contestant on series 3 of the UK version of the show on 7, 8 March, 1999.

He walked away with £125,000. However, one day after the show's broadcast, it was discovered that the answer that Tony gave to his £64,000 question was incorrect . Despite this, he was allowed to keep his £125,000 win. Contents £4,000 (7 of 15) - Not Timed Who is Snoopy's owner? £8,000 (8 of 15) - Not Timed In mountaineering, which word describes a controlled descent down a rock face using a rope? • A: Bungee jumping £16,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed What is the name of the computer in the film '2001: A Space Odyssey'? '50:50' lifeline used £32,000 (10 of 15) - Not Timed Which explorer introduced potatoes to this country?

'Ask the Audience' lifeline used • A: Sir Francis Drake - 14% • B: Sir Walter Raleigh - 82% • C: Sebastian Cabot - 3% • D: Captain Cook - 1% £64,000 (11 of 15) - Not Timed Theoretically, what is the minimum number of strokes with which a tennis player can win a set? • A: Twelve £125,000 (12 of 15) - Not Timed What is 'Spode'? 'Phone a Friend' lifeline used • A: China • C: A garden tool • D: Vegetarian food Tony decided to call his friend David, who was definitely sure it was China. He decided to go with him and won £125,000. £250,000 (13 of 15) - Not Timed The 'matelot' is a sailor's dance from which country? • A: France • C: England • D: Holland Tony had a clue, but instead "demanded" Chris his £125,000 cheque, and walked away with it.

The correct answer was D: Holland. Bad question Edit Tony Kennedy's faulty £64,000 question For £64,000, Tony was asked "Theoretically, what is the minimum number of strokes with which a tennis player can win a set?", with 12, 24, 36, and 48 as choices, which he answered as 24 (four shots to win a game, with six games in a set). However, the Daily Mirror newspaper, one day after his episode was broadcast, reported that 12 was the correct answer (as a server, acing four times, the minimum required to win a game; as a receiver, the opponent double-faulting on each serve). The show acknowledged, but despite this, Tony was allowed to keep his prize money, £125,000, as the mistake was done by them, not by Tony himself. [1] Bad question | Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Wiki Laurence and Jackie Llewellyn Bowen 's original £1,000,000 question, which was later deemed ambiguous.

In Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? , a bad question is a question which the producers deemed had an error that affected the contestant's gameplay. Most bad questions fall under one of these categories: It has a critical misspelling in it (for example, Patrick Hugh 's original $25,000 question). It is deemed to have two or more correct answers (for example, Laurence and Jackie Llewellyn Bowen 's original £1,000,000 question and Doug Van Gundy 's original $100 question). It deems the correct answer as incorrect (for example, David Honea 's $64,000 question and Ed Toutant 's original $16,000 question). A bad question can also appear in a Fastest Finger First question when it has an answer that, considering the question, can be interpreted in multiple ways, in such a way that affects the correct answer/order. The production team has been lately warning contestants that if an ambiguous question were to appear, they should choose the best answer.

Contents Edit A contestant can object the answer to a question as soon as their game has stopped, either inmediately after (such as in Honea's case), or after their show was taped and they returned home (such as in Toutant's case, who sent a friendly mail to the production team pointing out he was victim of a bad question). As stated in the rules, producers may only bring back contestants at their sole discretion, so being guaranteed a spot back in the game is not always assured. Return Edit Jacky and Lawrence Luellen Bowen's second £1,000,000 question, which they decided not to answer. The way that a contestant would restart their game (if they were allowed back) has varied throughout time. In some cases, the contestant would be awarded the money had they answered correctly and restart their game at that point (as in Honea's case, who received $64,000 and restarted on the next question, $125,000).

In other cases, their game would be restarted at a point before the faulty question, usually asking the contestant a question worth whatever they were going for at the time of their loss (as in Jacky and Lawrence's case, who got to play another £1,000,000 question). In any of those two cases, the contestant would have whatever lifelines they had until that point. At least one time the show gave the contestant the option to receive whatever money they should have won had they answered the bad question correctly, or the option to return to the game and redo the faulty question (the only known person to receive these options is Patrick Hugh, who chose the latter). Incorrect answers accepted as responses Edit Tony Kennedy 's question, whose answer, originally deemed correct, later turned out to be wrong. There are some cases of contestants answering a question originally deemed correct by the production team, but later found out to be wrong.

For example, Tony Kennedy was asked "Theoretically, what is the minimum number of strokes with which a tennis player can win a set?", with 12, 24, 36, and 48 as choices, which he answered as 24 (four shots to win a game, with six games in a set). However, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported the next day that 12 was the correct answer (as a server, acing four times, the minimum required to win a game; as a receiver, the opponent double-faulting on each serve). The show acknowledged, but despite this, Kennedy was allowed to keep his prize money (an eventual £125,000). [1] Rejecting bad questions Edit Rick Rosner's question, which he later claimed had no correct answer. There are some cases of the show disallowing the return of contestants who believed were victims of bad questions. One such case is Rick Rosner 's, who was asked for $16,000: "What capital city is located at the highest altitude above sea level?" with choices Mexico City, Quito, Bogota, and Katmandu.

Rick answered Katmandu, but turned out to be Quito (Katmandu is about half the altitutde of Quito) [2] . However, he claimed that due to the way the question is phrased, the question is asking "What is the highest capital city in the world?", and since La Paz (which is the highest capital city in the world) was not listed in the choices, the question had no correct answer, and sued. The show then decided that did not matter: "After reading your letters and reviewing our research, we continue to believe that the answer to your $16,000 question is correct [...] Of the four capital cities given as answer choices, Quito is the highest and, thus, is the correct answer [...] Under these circumstances, we do not believe that a return trip to the show is warranted in your case" [3] . Even though the show rejected it, Rosner insisted and started a letter-campaign [4] . As of 2015, the show has not brought him back. Did you solve it? Are you smarter than Andy Murray? | Science | The Guardian Did you solve it? Are you smarter than Andy Murray?

Did you ace today’s tennis puzzles? Andy Murray yesterday with the Queen’s trophy. Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images Monday 20 June 2016 12.00 EDT Last modified on Tuesday 21 June 2016 07.27 EDT Earlier today I set you the following three puzzles : The men’s singles event at Wimbledon is a knockout tournament with 128 players. Without doing any arithmetic - i.e adding up the number of matches in every round - can you work out how many matches are there in total? What is the minimum number of times you need to hit the ball with your racket in order to win a set? Goode, who is a good tennis player, and Poor, who isn’t, will take turns as your opponent over three sets of tennis. The order for sets 1-2-3 will be either Goode-Poor-Goode, or Poor-Goode-Poor? Which order of opponent do you choose to maximise your chances of winning two sets in a row? Question 1 The answer is 127.

What I didn’t want you to do was to add the 64 first round matches to the 32 second round matches, to the 16 third round matches, and so on, which is 64 + 32 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 127. Not only is this laborious but it is inelegant. This way is neater: at the end of each match one player is the winner and one is the loser. At the end of the tournament, every player has lost a match except the champion. So there must be one less match than there are players. There are 128 players so there must be 127 matches. Question 2 The answer is once. Imagine if every time you serve you swing at the ball and miss. This is a fault. Do this twice in a row and you lose the point. Do it eight times in a row and you lose the game. Now imagine you do this for your six service games and that your opponent also double faults on every serve. The score after 12 games will be 6-6 and the set will enter the tiebreak.

If you continue to swing at the ball and miss, and your opponent double faults, neither of you will be able to win the tie-break. But depending on who serves first you will either get to 6-5, or 7-6 ahead. When you you do, ace that serve and you will have won the set with your racket hitting the ball only once. This question may seem familiar to many of you since it is similar to one of the most controversial moments on the quiz show Who Wants to be A Millionaire. In an episode in 1999, a contestant was asked: Theoretically, what is the minimum number of strokes with which a tennis player can win a set? His four choices were 12, 24, 36 and 48. He replied 24, was told it was correct, and won that question, worth £64,000. The correct answer was 12 - four aces on each of his serves for 3 games, and his opponent double faulting all his serves in 3 games. Later the programme makers admitted they had made a mistake but let the contestant keep his winnings.

If by a ‘stroke’ we mean the racket hitting the ball, however, even 12 is 11 too many. Question 3 The answer is Goode-Poor-Goode I love the counter-intuitive nature of the answer: in order to have the best chance of winning two sets in a row you need to play the best player twice! This is because in order to win two sets in a row you must win the middle game. You have a better chance of winning the middle set against Poor than you do against Goode, so with Goode-Poor-Goode you get an easier middle set and two shots at beating Goode. If you went with Poor-Goode-Poore, you only get one shot at beating Goode. The insight here is to realise that even though the chances of winning any two sets is better with Poor-Goode-Poor, the chance of winning two sets in a row is better with Goode-Poor-Goode. For those who are familiar with basic probability theory, we can prove the result more formally.

If the probability of beating Poor is p, and the probability of beating Goode is g, then the probability of two wins in a row facing Goode-Poore-Goode are the sum of: win-win-win: gpg lose-win-win: (1 – g)gp TOTAL: 2gp – ggp = gp(2 – g) Using a similar table for Poor-Goode-Poor, the probability of two wins in a row works out as gp(2 – p). Goode is better than Poor, so the probability of beating Poor is greater than the probability of beating Goode, i.e p > g. Therefore (2 – g) > (2 – p) And thus gp(2 – g) > gp(2 – p) So the chances of two wins in a row against Goode-Poor-Goode is greater than the chances in a row against Poor-Goode-Poor. Sources: 1. of unknown origin. 2. Dick Hess: Number Crunching Math Puzzles . 3. Frederick Mosteller: Fifty Challenging Problems in Probability . I post a puzzle here on a Monday every two weeks.

If you are reading this on the Guardian app, click where it says ‘Follow Alex Bellos’ and you’ll get an alert when the next puzzle appears. If you want to propose a puzzle for this column, please email me I’d love to hear it. Simple Introduction to Tennis Scoring for Beginners Simple Introduction to Tennis Scoring for Beginners Playing a Game To put the tennis scoring system as simply as possible, one must win: four points to win a game six games to win a set two (or, more rarely, three) sets to win a match We'll call the players A and B. By winning a coin toss or a spin of the racquet, A gets to choose one of the following: choose an end of the court have B choose Let's say A chooses to serve. B then gets to choose an end of the court. A may serve from anywhere behind her baseline between the right singles sideline and the center mark. The serve must be struck before the ball bounces, and it must land in the service box diagonally opposite her. She gets two chances to get a serve in. If she misses both, she loses the point. If a serve that is otherwise good nicks the net on its way in, it is redone.

If A gets her serve in, B must return the ball, after exactly one bounce, into any part of A's singles court. A and B must then return the ball, after no more than one bounce, into one another's singles court until one of them misses. continue reading below our video How to Throw a Perfect Spiral in Football A will serve from the left side of her baseline for the second point of the game, and she will continue to alternate right and left for the start of each point of the game. Let's say A wins the first point. At the start of the next point, she must announce the score, her point total first: "15 - love." (Love = 0.) B wins the next point: "15 all." B wins the next point: "15 - 30." A wins the next point: "30 all." A wins the next point: "40 - 30." If A wins the next point, she wins the game. If B wins the next point, the score is "40 all," which is called "deuce." At deuce, one player must win the next two points to win the game.

If, at deuce, A wins the next point, she has the advantage, and the score is called "ad in," which means server's advantage. If B had won that point, the score would have been "ad out." If the player having the advantage wins the following point, he or she wins that game. If the player with the advantage loses the point, the score returns to deuce. With traditional scoring, games can go back and forth from deuce to ad over and over. The "No Ad" variation on the scoring within games allows for a game to be won by a margin of one point. Instead of "15," "30," and "40" used to note points, players may use "1," "2," and "3." At "3 all," the receiver may choose whether to receive in the left or right service box. The winner of that point wins the game. At the end of the first and every odd-numbered game, the players switch ends of the court, and the player who served the previous game now receives serve. The server always begins a game by serving from the right.

At the start of each game, she announces the number of games each has won, starting with her own score, for example, "3 - 2." Once a player has won six games by a margin of two or more, he or she has won the set. If the score within a set reaches 6 - 6, the players may either continue to try to reach a margin of two (such as 8 - 6 or 9 - 7), or they may play a tie-break to decide the set. In tournament play, this choice will have been determined in advance, but recreational players often choose whichever option appeals to them at the moment. In a standard "12-point tie break" (best of 12), one player must win seven points by a margin or two or more. The player who received in the game preceding the tie-break serves the first point of the tie-break, starting from the right. The other player then serves the next two points, the first from the left, then the second from the right. Each player continues serving two points per turn. Points are scored with counting numbers ("1, 2, 3 . . .").

When the point total reaches six and each multiple of six, the players switch ends of the court. Starting a New Set If the previous set ended with an odd-numbered total of games, the players switch ends to begin the new set. (A tie-break counts as one game.) They will switch ends after every odd game through each set. At the start of a new set, the player who received in the last game of the previous set (or received first in the tie-break) now serves. Completing a Match In most tournaments , the first player to win two sets (best of three) wins the match. In a few events, such as men's Grand Slam tournaments, one must win three sets (best of five). Where time or fitness impose limits on the length of matches, a tie-break is sometimes used in place of a third set. Recreational players often keep going until they're exhausted, even if one of them has won four sets in a row.

Question: Theoretically, what is the minimum number of strokes with which a tennis player can win a set?
Answer: 12