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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!hao!woods
From: woods@hao.UUCP (Greg "Bucket" Woods)
Newsgroups: net.bio,net.origins,net.sci
Subject: Re: The missing step -- self-reproducing organisms
Message-ID: <1262@hao.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 16-Nov-84 16:31:10 EST
Article-I.D.: hao.1262
Posted: Fri Nov 16 16:31:10 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Nov-84 20:21:17 EST
References: gatech.10770 <3469@ecsvax.UUCP> <10810@gatech.UUCP>
Organization: High Altitude Obs./NCAR, Boulder CO
Lines: 16


   I think the concept that everyone is trying to get at here is this:

If an event has a probability of occuring that is greater than zero, and there
are an infinite number of attempts at it, then the probability that it will
eventually occur is indeed 1, no matter how small the probability that it will
happen on a given attempt. The only assumption needed here is that time
goes on forever (and I'm not going to debate that here, I take that as a given).

--Greg
-- 
{ucbvax!hplabs | allegra!nbires | decvax!stcvax | harpo!seismo | ihnp4!stcvax}
       		        !hao!woods
   
     "...once in a while you can get shown the light
         in the strangest of places if you look at it right..."