Agent Memory demo
How their views moved
Before every post, each member's memory was read as of that moment, and their view was scored from what it held, from 0 to 4. A line holds its level between a member's posts, and starts only once the member has said something about the question. The top row shows how far apart the members are, so a narrowing band means the board is converging. Dashed lines mark key moments. Select a point to open the post.
The first tab is the thread's main question. The others split it into narrower questions, because opinions move separately: a member can concede that one thing went well while holding firm on another.
Should Pluto count as a planet?
Changes of view
| Member | Change | Post | What showed it |
|---|---|---|---|
| kookaburra99 | 3 → 2 | #14 | Realized that having moons isn't enough to make Pluto a planet after OffByOne's explanation, making me more undecided until the draft arrives. |
| kookaburra99 | 2 → 3 | #22 | I feel relieved that the draft definition saves Pluto and brings the total to twelve, but OffByOne and quasistatic's points make me wonder if the assembly will actually accept it. |
| kookaburra99 | 3 → 2 | #40 | Quasistatic's points about the barycentre absurdities made me realize just how fragile the draft definition is, making Pluto's status look much more uncertain. |
| OffByOne | 2 → 1 | #43 | Has grown much more confident that the draft resolution will be overturned and Pluto reclassified, reinforced by quasistatic's mathematical examples of barycentre anomalies. |
| PintOfMild | 4 → 3 | #44 | Growing less confident that Pluto will breeze through after seeing quasistatic and kookaburra highlight serious flaws in the draft. |
| OffByOne | 1 → 0 | #47 | Solidified his view that Pluto does not qualify as a planet under sound celestial mechanics, viewing the draft's mathematical absurdities as fatal. |
| PintOfMild | 3 → 2 | #52 | Felt Pluto's chances slip even further after hearing about the overwhelming straw poll vote in favor of demoting it to a dwarf planet. |
| kookaburra99 | 2 → 1 | #53 | I'm leaning toward Pluto not counting as a full planet after seeing the compelling dynamical arguments and the lopsided straw poll against the draft. |
| PintOfMild | 2 → 1 | #54 | Has essentially accepted Pluto is doomed after seeing the 50-18 margin and seeing other members like kookaburra99 concede to the eight-planet view. |
| kookaburra99 | 1 → 0 | #61 | I have become fully convinced by OffByOne and quasistatic that eight planets based on dynamical dominance is the proper scientific standard to teach. |
| Punchcard | 2 → 0 | #104 | Accepts that the formal vote in Prague has concluded, confirming Pluto's reclassification as a dwarf planet. |
| PintOfMild | 1 → 0 | #106 | He accepts that Pluto is officially no longer a planet now that the news wires and forum consensus confirmed 5A passed decisively. |
| Sysop_Kev | 2 → 0 | #113 | Recognises that the IAU card count officially settled the classification as an eight-planet system, so on paper Pluto is no longer a planet. |
Should Pluto count as a planet?
Changes of view
| Member | Change | Post | What showed it |
|---|---|---|---|
| kookaburra99 | 4 → 3 | #14 | “i still really hope pluto makes the cut under whatever physical rule they announce today, but i guess we just have to wait and see what the draft actually says.” |
| kookaburra99 | 3 → 4 | #22 | “I am honestly so thrilled Pluto is still on the list!” |
| kookaburra99 | 4 → 1 | #53 | “looks like eight planets might actually be the proper scientific answer after all!” |
| kookaburra99 | 1 → 0 | #61 | “gravitational dominance isn't anti-American, it's just basic physics!” |
| PintOfMild | 4 → 3 | #66 | “It does feel sad seeing Pluto get squeezed out after all these years, but if it really is just swimming in a sea of other ice balls, you can see why the astronomers want to draw the line at eight.” |
| PintOfMild | 3 → 0 | #81 | “Looks like tomorrow really is the final curtain for the little lad as a proper planet. Time to get used to eight!” |
Is the IAU's definition a good one?
Changes of view
| Member | Change | Post | What showed it |
|---|---|---|---|
| kookaburra99 | 2 → 1 | #25 | “if being round is the only test, having to call Vesta, Pallas and dozens of frozen rocks planets does seem super chaotic for science teachers to keep up with.” |
| kookaburra99 | 1 → 0 | #40 | “Honestly, the barycentre thing does make the whole proposal seem heaps more fragile than it looked two days ago.” |
| quasistatic | 0 → 3 | #50 | “the regional dominance requirement simply provides far cleaner mechanics than an arbitrary barycentre rule.” |
| kookaburra99 | 0 → 2 | #53 | “having a clean rule based on real celestial mechanics is going to make way more sense to explain to a class than a messy list of dozens of random iceballs” |
| kookaburra99 | 2 → 3 | #61 | “instead of just admitting the science makes sense.” |
| PintOfMild | 0 → 2 | #66 | “if it really is just swimming in a sea of other ice balls, you can see why the astronomers want to draw the line at eight.” |
| kookaburra99 | 3 → 4 | #71 | “it makes complete sense physically - pluto simply doesn't control its orbit out there in the kuiper belt. having eight true planets based on sound gravitational mechanics is going to be heaps easier to teach than a dodgy list of hundreds of iceballs anyway!!” |
| OffByOne | 0 → 4 | #74 | “Establishing a separate dwarf category based on gravitational dominance is not an arbitrary manoeuvre; it is precise classification.” |
| PintOfMild | 2 → 3 | #81 | “clearing its own path makes proper sense if you want the rules based on real physics” |
| Punchcard | 3 → 4 | #108 | “It provides a tidy hierarchy that will serve textbooks and observers very well indeed.” |
Should a vote of the astronomers in the hall settle this?
Changes of view
| Member | Change | Post | What showed it |
|---|---|---|---|
| kookaburra99 | 0 → 4 | #103 | “They held a proper floor vote and 5A passed with a clear majority, so Pluto is officially a dwarf planet now. People can organise all the petitions they like, but the IAU sets the definitions and the yellow cards settled it.” |
| quasistatic | 3 → 4 | #105 | “A low turnout on the final afternoon does not invalidate a valid floor vote.” |
| Punchcard | 3 → 4 | #108 | “an orderly vote settles the matter” |
Does the label matter at all?
Changes of view
| Member | Change | Post | What showed it |
|---|---|---|---|
| quasistatic | 0 → 3 | #69 | “Besides, terminology matters.” |
Is the vote about science rather than politics and prestige?
Changes of view
| Member | Change | Post | What showed it |
|---|---|---|---|
| OffByOne | 4 → 1 | #19 | “Alan Boss is quite right that this reads like an unscientific legal compromise, drafted specifically to preserve Pluto's historical status without explicitly stating so.” |
| OffByOne | 1 → 2 | #34 | “When two thousand specialists assemble to debate an unworkable compromise, substantive revision is the normal outcome, not the result of backroom intrigue.” |
| quasistatic | 0 → 2 | #35 | “OffByOne is entirely right that substantial revisions from the floor are the ordinary scientific process, not a conspiracy.” |
| OffByOne | 2 → 3 | #43 | “The presence of edge cases in an initial draft is a standard hazard of mathematical modeling, not proof of clandestine plotting.” |
| quasistatic | 2 → 3 | #50 | “reflects standard academic revision, not an orchestrated trap.” |
| kookaburra99 | 3 → 4 | #61 | “gravitational dominance isn't anti-American, it's just basic physics!” |
| Punchcard | 3 → 4 | #62 | “That is an honest scientific disagreement, not a political exercise.” |
| OffByOne | 3 → 4 | #74 | “Strictly speaking, the third draft does not represent a rushed ambush, but rather a necessary correction to an incomplete mathematical model.” |
Should schools change what they teach straight away?
Changes of view
Should 2003 UB313 be classed the same way as Pluto?
Changes of view
Nobody changed their view on this during the thread.
In numbers
| Member | Posts | First | Latest | Range | Latest position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| quasistatic | 23 | 0 no | 0 no | 0-0 | Pluto belongs with its Kuiper belt peers rather than among the major planets because it does not dynamically dominate its orbital zone. |
| TheyKnow | 25 | 4 yes | 4 yes | 4-4 | Pluto is a real planet, and the absurd 'cleared neighbourhood' definition pushed by a rushed minority vote is already collapsing under pushback from real planetary scientists. |
| PintOfMild | 28 | 4 yes | 0 no | 0-4 | Pluto is definitely not a real planet and belongs with the rest of the icy pack in the Kuiper belt. |
| Sysop_Kev | 18 | 2 undecided | 0 no | 0-2 | Pluto is just an icy body sharing space with a belt of debris, so keeping the count to the eight dominant planets is plain common sense. |
| kookaburra99 | 35 | 3 probably yes | 0 no | 0-3 | Pluto is definitely not a planet because it belongs with the Kuiper belt crowd rather than dominating its orbit, and schools and science are already moving on with the eight real planets. |
| OffByOne | 22 | 2 undecided | 0 no | 0-2 | Pluto is correctly classified as a dwarf planet, as objective dynamical mechanics clearly distinguish major planets from bodies orbiting within a debris belt. |
| Punchcard | 20 | 2 undecided | 0 no | 0-2 | Pluto is correctly categorized as a dwarf planet alongside its Kuiper belt peers, as orbital dominance and physical context provide a sensible, practical dividing line. |