Re: Primes: Randomness and Prime Twin Proof

On 3 Mar 2006 08:40:40 -0800, Martin Winer wrote:
So if you have an infinite (unbounded) number of plays... is it
possible that you could play such a machine and never win?
I say no. Proof. An event must either eventually occur or never
occur. Given that we have an unbounded number of attempts and a
non-zero probability, there is no such thing as 'never'. You never
reach 'never' (you always have another non-zero probability chance to
try). Hence it must eventually occur. However in a 0 probability case
of an event happening, we do have a concept of 'never' because you know
you will never win BEFORE you make even the first attempt (you *never*
have a non-zero probability to try).

Absolute nonsense.

Hardly a conclusive counter proof? The word never and always are terms
that can only be applied to a finite sequence of tries, or a sequence
of tries where the outcome is a certainty (hence no try required). You
can't say something never happens in an infinite number of attempts,
because there is always another attempt to try.

Counterexample: there is never a digit other than '3' in the infinite decimal
representation of 1/3.

For the universe to
make sense, I need things to eventually either happen or never happen.
I've ruled out the word 'never' with respect to an infinite number of
tries hence there is really only one other possibility. It happens.
Otherwise, the universe doesn't make sense because we have things that
both happen and don't happen at the same time.

You need to go back and rethink your assumptions.


--
Dave Seaman
U.S. Court of Appeals to review three issues
concerning case of Mumia Abu-Jamal.
<http://www.mumia2000.org/>
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Primes: Randomness and Prime Twin Proof
    ... non-zero probability, there is no such thing as 'never'. ... that can only be applied to a finite sequence of tries, ... can't say something never happens in an infinite number of attempts, ... For the universe to ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: Primes: Randomness and Prime Twin Proof
    ... non-zero probability, there is no such thing as 'never'. ... Hardly a conclusive counter proof? ... can't say something never happens in an infinite number of attempts, ... For the universe to ...
    (sci.math)
  • Re: Primes: Randomness and Prime Twin Proof
    ... of 1 does not imply certainty. ... My argument is that any event with a non-zero probability of happening, ... GIVEN AN UNBOUNDED NUMBER OF CHANCES, ... possible that you could play such a machine and never win? ...
    (sci.math)
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