Re: For the mathematically minded
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Wow what a wonderful contribution.
[/ QUOTE ]
I assume that's sarcastic, although it's hard to tell in message postings. I apologize if I'm wrong.
It is an important contribution. Of all the coins in the history of the world that have been flipped 21 times heads in a row, I'll bet none of them were fair. When you see a highly unusual event, it's very likely that the assumptions underlying the computation were wrong. If a coin flips 21 heads in a row, bet on heads next flip.
As a theoretical calculation, 0.5^21 is correct. But it's important to state the assumption.
[/ QUOTE ]
When people talk about probability problems involving coins they always mean fair coins unless they specify otherwise. It's not close.
|