German scientists have analyzed the mathematical patterns of past World Cup victories to deduce an iron-cast formula for success.
The German formula derived by a teamfrom Dortmund University is based on painstaking statistical analysis of post-war World Cup victories. With Brazil the only country to have achieved a statistically relevant number of 5 post-war victories, the German eggheads calculated a formula that could have predicted the most recent Brazilian victory, in South Korea and Japan in 2002, based purely on the pattern of Brazil’s preceding three victories.
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The formula is devastatingly simple and precise:Add the dates of the two most recent World Cup victories and logically then subtract the date of the third most recent World Cup victory. The result is the date of the next victory.
In Brazil’s case in 2002, this means adding the dates of the Brazilian 1994 and 1970 victories, and then subtracting the date of the 1962 victory, as follows:
(sum of two most recent victories) – (third most recent victory) = next victory
(1994 + 1970) – 1962 = 2002
The formula would have predicted Brazil’s World Cup success in 2002 with unerring mathematical precision.
Applied to the only other country to have three post-war World Cup victories, Germany, the calculation is as follows:
(1990 + 1974) – 1954 = X
For the benefit of readers who don’t want to know the result in advance, we will supply the solution only on request.
