Monthly Archives: June 2014

Q: If a long hot streak is less likely than a short hot streak, then doesn’t that mean that the chance of success drops the more successes there are?

Posted on June 20, 2014 by The Physicist

One of the original questions was:  I understand “gambler’s fallacy” where it is mistaken to assume that if something happens more frequently during a period then it will be less frequently in the future.  Example:  If I flip a coin … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Math, Probability | 12 Comments

Q: Where do the rules for “significant figures” come from?

Posted on June 6, 2014 by The Physicist

Physicist: When you’re doing math with numbers that aren’t known exactly, it’s necessary to keep track of both the number itself and the amount of error that number carries.  Sometimes this is made very explicit.  You may for example see … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Conventions, Equations, Math | 10 Comments