Can a probability be an Irrational number?
please explain
2007-09-26 10:57:33 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
My first instinct was to say no, because I was thinking a probability is usually given as the number of ways to have a successful outcome divided by the total number of outcomes. This is a fraction which would therefore imply a rational probability.
However there are numerous examples where a probability is not rational, that is to say irrational. The probability that a raindrop hits inside a circle compared to a unit square, for example... the top value is related to the area of a circle (which includes π and is therefore irrational). This results in a probability that is irrational.
Or if you had a piece of paper split according to the golden ratio (Φ) the probability that a grain of sand would fall onto one region or the other would be related to the irrational number Φ.
I'm sure you can think of other examples involving radioactive decay, sinusoidal waves, etc. There are lots of numbers that are irrational like sqrt(2), e, etc.
2007-09-26 11:02:51 · answer #1 · answered by Puzzling 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sure. You can weight a coin so that it is not 50-50. You can spin a dial like on wheel of fortune where one area has an irrational % of the overall space.
Most numbers are irrational and hence most answers are irrationall too.
2007-09-26 11:04:50 · answer #2 · answered by doctor risk 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
well yes and no .. herein lies your answer
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Number-Theory-2079/probability-specific-digit-sequence.htm
2007-09-26 11:01:40 · answer #3 · answered by The old man 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋