Nerd Quotient, NQ: L*log_10(N)
N = The number of arbitrary details you have mastered in the subject you know the most about
L = Difficulty of the subject in terms of the years of formal education typically needed to master it
Conversation
Comic books: N = number of characters artifacts, catchphrases, etc you can name (eg, Superman, kryptonite, “with great power comes great responsibility”), L = 5 (5th grade?)
Theoretical physics: N = number of laws, effects, phenomena you can name and state, L = 18 (MS?)
Replying to
Hard to compute N, but you could estimate with a 30-minute brainstorm sample. As in, write down as many terms etc without looking up on Google. Then assume the real number is 10x that, so N=10*N_sample (the log will go up by 1)
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Replying to
For comic books, L=0.
For physics maybe L=7.
Most of the intellectual development that you are attributing to schooling occurs just as well in kids who aren't exposed to any formal education.
It's primarily a matter of biological maturation + exposure to the modern world.

