B About the naive definition of probability

AI Thread Summary
The naive definition of probability requires equally likely outcomes and is limited to finite sample spaces. A biased coin cannot be accurately modeled using this definition, as it does not produce equally likely results for heads and tails. While one could create multiple events for heads to fit the model, these do not represent observable differences. Despite being labeled "naive," this definition is fundamental for understanding basic probability problems. However, it is insufficient for addressing more complex scenarios in probability theory.
red65
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
hello, I took an introductory course about statistics, we viewed the naive definition of probability which says "it requires equally likely outcomes and can't handle an infinite sample space ", I understood that it requires finite sample space but I didn't understand "equally likely outcomes ", does it mean that if we have a coin with no equally likely heads and tales that do not satisfy the naive definition?
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
That's right, a biased coin cannot be modeled as two events, one heads and one tails, because in the naive model all events are equally likely.

You can kind of jam it in if you squint, e.g. ifthe coin is 2/3 to be heads, then have events H1 and H2 which are both the coin landing heads, and T which is the coin landing tails. But H1 vs H2 is not an observable difference.
 
  • Informative
  • Like
Likes red65 and PeroK
ok, thanks a lot!
 
You can call it "naive" but it is an important, basic subset of the problems. And many problems are a series of steps where each step is of that type. But it will not get you very far; there are too many problems that are not like that.
 
Thread 'Video on imaginary numbers and some queries'
Hi, I was watching the following video. I found some points confusing. Could you please help me to understand the gaps? Thanks, in advance! Question 1: Around 4:22, the video says the following. So for those mathematicians, negative numbers didn't exist. You could subtract, that is find the difference between two positive quantities, but you couldn't have a negative answer or negative coefficients. Mathematicians were so averse to negative numbers that there was no single quadratic...
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. In Dirac’s Principles of Quantum Mechanics published in 1930 he introduced a “convenient notation” he referred to as a “delta function” which he treated as a continuum analog to the discrete Kronecker delta. The Kronecker delta is simply the indexed components of the identity operator in matrix algebra Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/what-exactly-is-diracs-delta-function/ by...
Thread 'Unit Circle Double Angle Derivations'
Here I made a terrible mistake of assuming this to be an equilateral triangle and set 2sinx=1 => x=pi/6. Although this did derive the double angle formulas it also led into a terrible mess trying to find all the combinations of sides. I must have been tired and just assumed 6x=180 and 2sinx=1. By that time, I was so mindset that I nearly scolded a person for even saying 90-x. I wonder if this is a case of biased observation that seeks to dis credit me like Jesus of Nazareth since in reality...
Back
Top