HSP 135-01
Albion College
Fall 02025
Discussion
questions for TLC, Ch. 1-2
DL: Nick
1. When talking
about the coin flip idea in Chapter 1 Johnny V states that
"a kind of order begins gradually to emerge, and at last assume
a distinct and striking aspect." Using the logic in this
statement could you say the same for 6 card deck blackjack game
or a spin of the roulette wheel?
2. The ideas expressed about
recording information and the word series seem a bit odd. The
empirical evidence no matter the statistic is recorded the
same do we need to address this issue when working on labs in
this class or should we not reinvent the wheel when it comes to
recording data?
3. Looking at the analysis of data
John Venn is pretty well known in the areas of comparison. Is it
possible to compare so concretely the results of a dice
toss as compared to the height of men and time of death?
4. This book was groundbreaking for
its time however most of the ideas that are
discussed are common knowledge among people like us. Do you
think we have just assimilated all these into the way we think
about probability?
5. Why do you think the author chose
to take a mostly non-mathematical approach to the topic of
probability? Do you think this was a product of the time period?
6. Why do you think
the author explains the law of large numbers in such length
without ever mentioning the law itself? p.3-7
7. Do you agree with the author's
analysis of natural sciences as study of objects and other
sciences as the study of processes and laws? Why or why not?
8. The book talks about how long people
would live if we had the ability to live as long as we want
(p.14-15). Do you think people would tend to live longer lives or
the shorter �merry� lives the author mentions?