High School About the naive definition of probability

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the naive definition of probability, which asserts that it requires equally likely outcomes and cannot accommodate infinite sample spaces. Participants clarify that a biased coin, which does not present equal probabilities for heads and tails, cannot be accurately modeled using this naive framework. While it is possible to create events that mimic equal likelihood in a biased scenario, such as defining two heads events, this approach lacks practical observability. The naive model serves as a foundational concept but is limited in its applicability to more complex probability problems.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic probability concepts
  • Familiarity with biased versus unbiased events
  • Knowledge of finite and infinite sample spaces
  • Introductory statistics principles
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore advanced probability theories beyond the naive definition
  • Learn about biased coin models and their implications in probability
  • Investigate the concept of sample spaces in depth
  • Study real-world applications of probability in statistics
USEFUL FOR

Students of statistics, educators teaching probability concepts, and anyone interested in the foundational principles of probability theory.

red65
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hello, I took an introductory course about statistics, we viewed the naive definition of probability which says "it requires equally likely outcomes and can't handle an infinite sample space ", I understood that it requires finite sample space but I didn't understand "equally likely outcomes ", does it mean that if we have a coin with no equally likely heads and tales that do not satisfy the naive definition?
 
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That's right, a biased coin cannot be modeled as two events, one heads and one tails, because in the naive model all events are equally likely.

You can kind of jam it in if you squint, e.g. ifthe coin is 2/3 to be heads, then have events H1 and H2 which are both the coin landing heads, and T which is the coin landing tails. But H1 vs H2 is not an observable difference.
 
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ok, thanks a lot!
 
You can call it "naive" but it is an important, basic subset of the problems. And many problems are a series of steps where each step is of that type. But it will not get you very far; there are too many problems that are not like that.
 

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