Author: Albert Silver
Date: 07:26:25 10/07/01
Go up one level in this thread
On October 07, 2001 at 08:43:05, Paul wrote:
>On October 07, 2001 at 08:03:40, stuart taylor wrote:
>
>>On October 07, 2001 at 05:54:19, Ian Aston wrote:
>>
>>>I guess Deep Fritz isn't waiting for games 38, 39 & 40, after all. :)
>>>
>>>IA
>>
>>So why is this happening anyway. Some say It's normal, but (althogh it's a
>>speeded up version of a familiar pattern) I'm not sure that it IS so normal, if
>>you study the patterns and their frequencies.
>> But maybe that's a bit too mathematical for hardened mathematicians?
>>S.Taylor
>
>Hi Stuart,
>
>If the probability of something happening is zero, it won't happen. Otherwise,
>it will sometime, sooner or later, no telling when.
I'm no mathematician, but my understanding is that probability represents what
_can_ happen (and how often) and not what _will_ happen. The difference is that
just because both heads or tails _can_ show up if I flip a coin with a
probability of 1 in 2, being equally probable, doesn't mean they _will_. Heads
could just as well NEVER show up. Ever. Why? Because each and everytime I flip
that coin the chances are still 1 in 2. A very funny way of illustrating this is
the opening scene of Tom Stoppard's play, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are
Dead".
Albert
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