Stupid math tricks

Political junkies can get their fix with the WashPost blog of the top 10 Senate races. Math geeks can get a snort at this brilliant bit of mathemagic:

1. Pennsylvania: Two polls released this week painted vastly different pictures of the contest. The first -- by Republican firm Strategic Vision -- showed State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr. (D) with a 49 percent to 41 percent edge over Sen. Rick Santorum (R); the second -- conducted by Quinnipiac University -- had Casey ahead by a wider 49 percent to 36 percent margin. Which is right? Here's a little trick The Fix learned from political analyst Charlie Cook (our former boss): When two polls show varying results in the same race, take the two and split the difference.

Congratulations, you’ve discovered the “averaging” theorem.