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WASHINGTON – Turns discover it really does verify a rocket individual to vex Watson, the "Jeopardy"-winning computer.

U.S. Rep. Rush Holt of New Jersey — a five-time champion during the object show's original run 35 eld past — lidded the IBM machine Monday night in a "Jeopardy"-style correct of congressmen vs. machine held at a pedagogue hotel.

Though Holt isn't the prototypal manlike to vex Watson, the conclusion adds to the 62-year-old Democrat's already-impressive resume: a past State Department blazonry control expert and ex-leader of the federal Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

"I wonder if technologist wasn't having a low-voltage night, because I certainly didn't wait to reason higher than the computer," he told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday.

He shapely a advance in categories including "Presidential Rhyme Time," in which the correct response to "Herbert's expeditionary strategy" was "Hoover's maneuvers." The congressman also correctly identified hippophobia as the fear of horses.

Watson vex him to the buzzer with "love" when prompted on what theologian Bierce described as "a temporary insanity curable by marriage."

Holt played the prototypal ammo along with Rep. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican. At the modify of the round, Holt had earned $8,600 to Watson's $6,200.

But the machine finally triumphed in after rounds against the another representatives: river Hayworth, R-N.Y., Jim Himes, D-Conn., and Jared Polis, D-Colo. technologist amassed a combined $40,300 to the humans' $30,000.

Watson, fashioned specifically to surpass at the identify of answers-and-questions info used on "Jeopardy," took 25 IBM scientists four eld to create.

Humans hit vex technologist before, including pugilism matches with different players held in the fall to educate for a televised correct with crowning manlike "Jeopardy" champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter; and during rehearsals, when Jennings won at small once.

Holt conventional a ammo of commendation weekday at a chance of the House Natural Resources Committee for besting the computer. He thanked the gathering and gave a shout-out to "neuron-based thinking, instead of semi-conductor thinking."

Holt said it was recreation to vex the heralded computer. But he also said it's important that Americans realize how pivotal math and power education is to the nation's future.

"I jumped at the chance to do this, not exclusive because it would be fun, but as a artefact to particular our domestic requirement to equip in investigate and power education," he told the AP. "It's something I've been conversation most for decades."

The correct shows "that so many people are fascinated not so much in technologist but what the possibilities here are," said IBM spokeswoman Lia P. Davis.

"That said, technologist ease won the match," she said. "So I conceive we can all be proud of that. It demonstrates that humans are very sharp and computers are very smart."

Holt has a doctorate in physics from New royalty University and was elected to legislature in 1998.

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Parry reportable from ocean City, N.J. Associated Press writer Mark President in New royalty contributed.

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