Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: samtheman
Hmmm, let's see. Off the top of my bald hear:

The probability of being dealt all spades is not less than the probability of being dealt any other particular hand.

As an analogy, I don't think it fits Quantum indeterminism, because it does not allow for just anything to happen. The uncertainty is limited. I suppose if you think of all possible hands being the limiting factor (Planck's constant?), it might be. Honestly haven't given as much thought as it deserves.

Hank

67 posted on 05/20/2008 9:27:53 AM PDT by Hank Kerchief
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 64 | View Replies ]


To: Hank Kerchief
The probability of being dealt all spades is not less than the probability of being dealt any other particular hand.
Yes, that's true. But the probability of being dealt ANY particular hand (in which you name all 13 cards by suit and face-value in advance) is exceedingly low (56!/13!), it's just that "all spades" is an easy way to specify one of those particular hands.

What I should have said is that the probability of being dealt a WINNING hand, in poker, for example, varies inversely with the ranking of that hand. You're going to get more single-pairs dealt to you in your life than you are royal-straight-flushes, even thought the probability of any PARTICULAR single-pair hand (if I specify 2h, 2s, 5c, 9d, ks, for example) is the same as expecting royal-straight-flush in spades.

And even the word "probability" is somewhat suspect. If you play 10,000 hands of poker a year, you will CERTAINLY see more crappy hands than you will great hands (crappy and great as per definitions within the game).

The more I think of it, the more I think this is a good way to explain QM to the lay person, even though cards, of course, are definitely not quantum events but causal on a macro level just like a baseball, if it's hit with enough force in the right direction, will go sailing over the fence.

69 posted on 05/20/2008 11:39:47 AM PDT by samtheman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson