Mathematical Model: Wikipedia Quality Grows at sqrt(log(N)) with Editors

anderssandberg · x · 2026-08-13

Referencing his past research, Anders Sandberg uses a mathematical model to explain the quality evolution of encyclopedias. In an idealized max model, expert-written entries match the experts' competence level. Meanwhile, Wikipedia-style public editing sees quality grow roughly at sqrt(log(N)) with the number of editors N, a mechanism that continuously improves content and fixes direct errors.

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