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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!floyd!clyde!ihnp4!ihuxr!lew
From: lew@ihuxr.UUCP (Lew Mammel, Jr.)
Newsgroups: net.math
Subject: Re: Jim Balter's circle proof
Message-ID: <655@ihuxr.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 21-Sep-83 14:33:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxr.655
Posted: Wed Sep 21 14:33:20 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 22-Sep-83 05:50:15 EDT
Organization: BTL Naperville, Il.
Lines: 33

I don't understand Jim Balter's derivation of the circle formula either
(along with Silvio Levy.) I think Silvio is being generous when he says
"it seems to be sound". Recall that Jim, by his own statement, discovered
the formula empirically then made up the derivation to go with it. Of the
several troublesome points, I have the worst time with:

"...  the odds that all the points fall within a
semicircle is the sum of the odds that any of the chords falls within a
semicircle; since the points are equivalent, p = n * p_one_chord."

This seems to be based on the false rule that the probability of a thing
happening N times is N times the probability of a thing happening once.

This is the second time in short succession (after Jim Stekas's "closed
orbit" argument on net.physics) that I've seen a correct result supported
by what appears to me to be bizarre argumentation. I find this upsetting.

Incidentally, I do know the difference between "except" and "accept", I
just slipped up. After I posted my offending article (which started,
"I can except ...") I suddenly realized the horrible error I had committed
when I was on my way out of the building. In another net.math posting
I typed "M" where I wanted "M/N". That time it was actually several days
later when, for some obscure reason, I suddenly realized my error.

On other occasions I have posted articles with "no" for "know", "to"
for "too", and "contract" for "retract". I have tried to be careful
about these things ever since I was assigned to a remedial grammar
class after taking a class-wide English exam my freshman year at Brown.
I used "worser" in that one, among other offenses.

	Lew Mammel, Jr. ihuxr!lew

P.S. I just found that "worser" gets through spell!