How is Cantor set similar to coin tosses?

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    Cantor Set
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Discussion Overview

The discussion explores the analogy between the Cantor set and the outcomes of infinite coin tosses, examining how sequences of coin tosses can be represented within the framework of the Cantor set and its properties.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant references the Wikipedia page stating that the Cantor set serves as a model for an infinite series of coin tosses, seeking clarification on the similarity between recorded coin outcomes and points on the real line.
  • Another participant defines the Cantor set in terms of sequences of outcomes from coin tosses, suggesting a homeomorphism between the Cantor set and sequences of 0s and 2s, with a specific mapping to base-3 representations.
  • A further contribution questions the interpretation of ternary numbers containing 1s in the context of coin tosses, proposing they might represent unmeasured experiments or superpositions.
  • One participant challenges the previous question, stating that those interpretations do not have a clear meaning.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the interpretation of ternary numbers in relation to coin tosses, indicating that the discussion remains unresolved regarding the significance of these interpretations.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the assumptions made about the interpretations of the Cantor set and coin tosses, particularly concerning the meaning of ternary representations and their implications.

EnumaElish
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The wikipedia page on the Cantor set states that it is a model for an infinite series of coin tosses. In what sense are recorded coin outcomes similar to a set of points on the real line?
 
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The Cantor sets can be defined as ##\{H,T\}^\mathbb{N}## equipped with the product topology and with ##\{H,T\}## the discrete space. Instead of using ##H## and ##T##, I might as well write ##\{0,2\}^\mathbb{N}##. An element of the Cantor set is then a sequences ##(x_n)_n## which takes on elements ##0## and ##2##. It is then very easy to find a homeomorphism between this set of sequences and the Cantor set ##C##. Indeed, we set
[tex]f:C\rightarrow \{0,2\}^\mathbb{N}: 0.a_1a_2a_3...\rightarrow (a_1,a_2,a_3,...)[/tex]
with inverse
[tex]f^{-1}:\{0,2\}^\mathbb{N}\rightarrow C:(a_n)_n\rightarrow \sum_{k=1}^{+\infty} a_k 3^{-k}[/tex]

So more practically, given an element of the Cantor set ##C##, we can see this as a sequence of coin tosses by looking at the base-3 representation. The number ##0.0202020202...## is an element of the Cantor set and corresponds to the sequence ##HTHTHTHTHTHT...##.
 
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To push the analogy a little, what would the ternary numbers containing 1's correspond to in the coin toss experiment? Could those be interpreted as "experiments we did not measure" (they are superposed)?
 
They don't really have an interpretation.
 

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