Subj : Re: Essay: Introduction to "Probability and Statistics" To : comp.programming,sci.math From : Gerry Quinn Date : Wed Jul 06 2005 12:01 pm In article , rem642b@Yahoo.Com says... > Unlike most of mathematics, where we merely compute with numbers or > plan how numbers might be computed or figure out patterns of numerical > computations or set up abstract structures and analyze their > characteristics, which requires nothing more than a strongly > disciplined mind and a desire to understand complex but totally > consistent systems, probability and statistics requires a special > mindset, a special way of thinking about nature. (Albert Einstein is > famous for not having this mindset. I hope you all know his famous > quote regarding quantum mechanics and metaphorical "dice"?) For the record, that statement has absolutely *nothing* to do with whether Einstein was good at thinking about probability and statistics (whether he was or not, I don't know). It is an assertion about how the universe is constructed, or perhaps an assertion about how a universe can logically be constructed. Einstein was not disputing the mathematics of coin tosses. - Gerry Quinn .