Equation 2 · A Showdown Ladder Rating Measures the Ladder, Not the Player
What does this equation mean?
Read the formula alongside the article passage below. Each part has a deeper page with its role in the equation, the supporting passage and nearby citations.
This equation states an equality: the expressions on both sides have the same value under the article’s assumptions. Read the equation part by part below; each part has a contextual explanation and a link to its mathematical background.
Read it piece by piece
Symbol r
r occurs below the fraction bar. The quantity above the bar is divided by this expression; zero is excluded as a denominator.
Symbol q
q occurs above the fraction bar. The numerator is divided by the entire denominator below it.
Symbol d^2
a variance term built from the same g() and expected-score factors, \{0, 0.
Symbol j
j appears in the bound of this sum. The bound states where the repeated operation starts, ends, or which values it includes.
Symbol m
m occurs below the fraction bar. The quantity above the bar is divided by this expression; zero is excluded as a denominator.
Symbol g
g is one of the signed contributions combined to compute the quantity on the left.
Symbol s_j
is one of the signed contributions combined to compute the quantity on the left.
Symbol E
E is one of the signed contributions combined to compute the quantity on the left.
Symbol s
s is one of the signed contributions combined to compute the quantity on the left.
Symbol r_j
is one of the signed contributions combined to compute the quantity on the left.
=
The expressions on both sides represent the same quantity under the stated assumptions.
See an illustrated explanation →subtraction
Subtract the following term or group from the preceding one. A leading minus marks a negative quantity.
subscript
The lower label selects a particular version, component, or indexed member of the quantity. For example, x₀ and xₜ can be values at different positions.
superscript
A raised number can be a power. When it is a label or bound, it selects a case or the upper limit of a sum; the formula’s structure distinguishes these uses.
See an illustrated explanation →Denominator: 1/RD^2 + 1/d^2
The complete quantity below the fraction bar; it must be nonzero for this division.
Starting index or lower bound: j=1
This label says where the repeated addition, multiplication, or accumulation starts. Read its value or condition together with the article’s description of the index.
Ending index or upper bound: m
This label says where the repeated addition, multiplication, or accumulation stops. It sets the last term or end of the range.
How to interpret it
With a fixed numerator, increasing a nonzero denominator reduces the fraction. Read it with the definitions, units, and assumptions supplied by the article.
What the article says around this equation
1 , q = 400 ln 10 ≈ 0.0057565 r' = r + g() where is a variance term built from the same g() and expected-score factors, \{0, 0.5, 1\} is the outcome of game j , and between rating periods the deviation itself grows on a fixed schedule, = , clamped to Showdown’s own configured ceiling of 130 rather than Glickman’s generic default ceiling of 350 [ 2 , 3 ] . Substitute Showdown’s published c = 6.6775026092 and the schedule is fully determined: it is not a metaphorical “uncertainty,”…
Read the full surrounding passage
1 , q = 400 ln 10 ≈ 0.0057565 r' = r + g() where is a variance term built from the same g() and expected-score factors, \{0, 0.5, 1\} is the outcome of game j , and between rating periods the deviation itself grows on a fixed schedule, = , clamped to Showdown’s own configured ceiling of 130 rather than Glickman’s generic default ceiling of 350 [ 2 , 3 ] . Substitute Showdown’s published c = 6.6775026092 and the schedule is fully determined: it is not a metaphorical “uncertainty,” it is a specific number computed the same way every 24 hours for every account on the ladder. A brand-new Showdown account starts at RD = 130 — already at the top of Showdown’s own configured uncertainty range, since that range tops out exactly where the starting value sits — which is the algorithm’s honest way of stating that it knows nothing about a new player yet, before either the player or their opponents log a single result.
Sources cited in the article section
These citations give research context. Read each source to check which claims it supports.
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