Category Archives: Probability

Q: Can math and science make you better at gambling?

Posted on May 23, 2010 by The Physicist

Physicist: Yes. Don’t gamble (mathematically speaking). Mathematician: Gambling (at casinos, in lotteries, and in most other instances) is expected value negative, even when you play optimally. That means that the average amount of money you will make per play is … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Mathematician, -- By the Physicist, Probability | 10 Comments

Q: What’s so special about the Gaussian distribution (i.e. the normal distribution / bell curve)??

Posted on February 13, 2010 by The Physicist

Physicist: A big part of what makes physicists slothful and attractive is a theorem called the “central limit theorem”.  In a nutshell it says that, even if you can’t describe how a single random thing happens, a whole mess of … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Mathematician, -- By the Physicist, Entropy/Information, Equations, Math, Probability, Quantum Theory | 11 Comments

Q: What is the meaning of the term “random”? Can thinking affect the future?

Posted on February 3, 2010 by The Physicist

The complete question was: 1 – When probability is invoked it commonly implies or states that something “will probably” or “is likely” to happen. Doesn’t this suggest that we can predict the future or just by thinking about it effect the … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Philosophical, Probability | Leave a comment

Q: Is it possible to choose an item from an infinite set of items such that each one has an equal chance of being selected?

Posted on January 31, 2010 by The Mathematician

The complete question was: The other day I was trying to explain the difference between “impossible” and “with probability zero” to a friend. I remarked “if you pick an integer, and I pick an integer, the mathematical probability that we … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Mathematician, Math, Probability | 18 Comments