Rhett Allain is an Associate Professor of Physics at Southeastern Louisiana University. He
enjoys teaching and talking about physics. Sometimes he takes things apart and can't
put them back together.I know many readers like the fermi questions (like how much would it cost to review all youtube submissions). Well, you are in luck - Diary of Numbers is having an estimation contest. Here is the question:
Mario has appeared in over 200 video games as Nintendo's main mascot. He has starred in TV shows, comic books, and feature films, but anyone who's played one of his games knows it's not all fun and games for the lovable plumber. He is constantly falling down bottomless pits, getting eaten by giant mutant mushrooms, and otherwise killing himself all while trying to save a princess who is apparently missing the part of the brain that allows one to avoid getting kidnapped. With that in mind, your estimation question is this: "How many times has Mario died in all of the videogames ever played?"
If you are interested, head on over to Diary of Numbers and submit your answer.
