Testing random

[Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn]

MRAB wrote:

> On 2015-06-17 00:45, Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:
>> Learn probability theory, and use a dictionary in Python when you want to
>> count random hits.
>>
> I think that different people are talking about different things in
> this thread.

I think that you, too, do not know what you are talking about.

> You're talking about the probability of each event, while
> everybody else is talking about the probability of certain combinations
> of events.

No.

> If you have, say, two children, the possibilities are:
> 
> boy, boy
> boy, girl
> girl, boy
> girl, girl
> 
> The probability of each boy or girl is 1/2.
> 
> The probability of only boys is 1/4 and of a son and a daughter is 1/4
> + 1/4 = 1/2.
> 
> Therefore, the probability of having only boys is less than the
> probability of having a son and a daughter.

And half of the population is homosexual as with 50 % males and 50 % females 
there is an equal number of homosexual pairs (male–male, female–female) as 
heterosexual ones (male–female, female–male).  NOT.

Final posting by me in this thread as the misconceptions about probability 
are apparently too deeply embedded in the general public to be resolved 
here.

In summary:

1. Combinations matter, not permutations.

2. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_averages>

3. 
<http://www.teacherlink.org/content/math/interactive/probability/interactivequiz/home.html>
   (Whereas I predict that the ignorant will see the correct answer to
    question 3 as proof of the correctness of their misconception.)

EOD.

-- 
PointedEars

Twitter: @PointedEars2
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