Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by Houshalter on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @03:03PM
(#14547598)
The paradox is that, after picking a random number, you have just done a thing which has probability zero. Doing a thing that has zero probability shouldn't be possible. Ever.
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Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by rocqua on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @05:19PM
(#14548741)
You can't pick a random real number between 0 and 1.
Heck, almost all reals between 0 and 1 can't ever be constructed let alone picked.
The here is the non-constructive nature of the real numbers. That is not to say the reals are useless, but they are not much more than a formalism. It's rather useful though because it's hard to get numbers like pi or e. Its really nice that any real interval is compact, but that too is hard to replicate.
Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by bjl on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @05:44PM
(#14548925)
You can certainly pick a random real number from the unit interval.
Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by waqf on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @06:28PM
(#14549204)
Really? Go on, then, pick one and tell us what it is (or at least tell us what your procedure was).
Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by Houshalter on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @08:39PM
(#14549935)
One example in a finite space and time setting would be selecting a random point on the ground. Say by dropping a ball there or something. The exact coordinates it lands is a random real number. But the probability that it landed on those exact coordinates is exactly 0, hence a paradox.
Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by marcosdumay on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @03:38PM
(#14547902)
Non-countable sets defy intuition on several ways. The silver lining is that we don't have any evidence a non-countable thing exist on the real world.
I don't think anybody even has a procedure for gathering that kind of evidence.
Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by dorgo on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @03:43PM
(#14547944)
No. Rational number are countable, but have the same property of zero probability for an item in a uniform distribution.
Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by pelario on Wednesday June 14, 2017 @07:12AM
(#14551898)
Why the downvotes? I think he is correct; and if someone think he is not, please elaborate
Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by marcosdumay on Wednesday June 14, 2017 @10:49AM
(#14553130)
Yes, no reason for the downvotes.
Infinities are problematic too.
Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by pelario on Wednesday June 14, 2017 @07:08AM
(#14551884)
It is possible! Actually I remember pointing out a similar concern in my probability class back in the day. The teacher's answer: that is precisely the difference between probablity and possibility :)
Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by dorgo on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @03:41PM
(#14547925)
I would argue that the distribution you used to pick a random number was not uniform. Not all the real number were equaliy likely to be picked by you. Hence the probability for some numbers was > 0.
Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by oh_sigh on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @06:15PM
(#14549137)
Is it probability actually zero, or just infinitely close to zero?
Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by waqf on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @06:30PM
(#14549221)
If it's a random real then the probability is zero.
If it's an arbitrarily close approximation to a random real then the probability is arbitrarily close to zero.
Re:Paradoxes of Probability and Other Statistical Strangeness
by oh_sigh on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @08:04PM
(#14549760)
How can the sum of infinitely many zero probabilities be 1? I can understand how the sum of infinitely many infinitely close to zero values can be 1, but not infinitely many exactly zero values