How the Internet Roller Coaster Poll Works 

    The ballot is posted to the web and coaster related newsgroups and 
completed ballots are accepted during the month of November.

   The ballot lists over 170  wooden tracked roller coasters.  Each person who 
takes the poll first indicates all those on the ballot that they have ridden, and 
then proceeds to numerically rank as many of them in relation to each other
as they are able.
  
   The completed ballots are tabulated as follows:

   Each coaster is compred one at a time to every other coaster to see whether
more people who have ridden both of them preferred one or the other.
A coaster is given a "Win" for each coaster that more mutual riders ranked
behind it, given a "Loss" for each coaster that more mutual riders ranked ahead
of it, and given a "Tie" for each coaster that the same number of mutual riders
ranked above it and below it.

  Coasters are ranked by their overall winning percentage (where ties count as 
half of a win and half of a loss).    In the event that two coasters end up with 
identical winning percentages, the tie is broken (if possible) by determining 
which of the two won the mutual rider comparison between those two coasters.

  Anyone wishing to participate in next year's poll may 
send an e-mail to wcoasterpoll@yahoo.com with the
subject: Please Send Me a Wood Coaster Poll Ballot Next Year.

  Or look for the ballot in the usenet newsgroup rec.roller-coaster or 
at http://www.geocities.com/wcoasterpoll next November.