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From: hes@ecsvax.UUCP (Henry Schaffer)
Newsgroups: net.math
Subject: Re: a piece of folk-lore - really on randomness
Message-ID: <504@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 28-Sep-85 23:48:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.504
Posted: Sat Sep 28 23:48:23 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 30-Sep-85 01:23:05 EDT
References: <1799@psuvax1.UUCP> <9600018@uiucdcsp> <1342@kestrel.ARPA> <10480@ucbvax.ARPA> <93@unc.unc.UUCP>
Organization: NC State Univ.
Lines: 14

> Quantum physics seems to deal more with probabilities than randomness,
> since events can happen spontaneously without cause, but the event that
> occurs occurs with a certain probability.  This is not true randomness,
> since it is probability that guides what events occur.
> 
>    Scott Southard
>    <southard@unc>

I either disagree with this distinction - or perhaps I don't understand
the point.  From a statistical point of view the possible outcomes of a
random process have probabilities of occurring, so there is no conflict
between randomness and probability.  (However, it is not correct to say
that probability "guides" the outcome, rather it describes.
--henry schaffer


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