Can we predict the outcome of a tossed coin?
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From: HardySpicer on 11 Nov 2009 19:19 On Nov 12, 10:56 am, "IlBeBa...(a)gmail.com" <ilbeba...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On Nov 11, 3:26 pm, "Dirk Van de moortel" > > > > <dirkvandemoor...(a)nospAm.hotmail.com> wrote: > > John Jones <jonescard...(a)btinternet.com> wrote in message > > > hdf9ad$m2...(a)news.eternal-september.org > > > > Can we predict the outcome of a tossed coin? Scientists and gamblers > > > have occasionally grappled with this problem. For the philosopher, > > > however, the answer is straightforward. There are no outcomes for a > > > tossed coin. > > > > For a philosopher, there is no possibility that an outcome of a tossed > > > coin is either heads or tails. Seen from above we may see heads, seen > > > from below we may see tails. > > > > The geometry of the coin means that we can only see one side at a time. > > a > > The geometry of a mirror or a camera allows us to see both > > sides at a time. > > > > Which side is seen depends not on "possibilities" but on the fickle, > > > subjective reasons for our preferred spatial orientation that we adopt > > > AFTER the coin has been tossed.ur > > > It's a good thing that some people escape starvation through subsidies :-) > > > Dirk Vdm > > I would think the probability of a 2 sided coin landing on either > heads or tails would be almost100 percent. I say almost because > there is a very remote chance that it could land on its edge and stay > there especially if it were tossed over soil or grass , in which case > it would be neither heads or tails. Do you know the probability of > there being another earth like ours based on all of the physics > constants of our universe, solar system, and earth which are needed > for earth to be here so we can be here ??? The probability as > determined by Cosmologists is 10 to the 99th power probability (Astro- > physicist Dr. Hugh Ross) . Yet our atheist freinds think it happened > by 'natural causes' accidentally . Does this sound like good > rationale ? Don't understand your point. There can be many earth type planets with life but not exactly the same. They will differ of course. What has that to do with God? You can have 4 kittens but each are slightly different. Hardy
From: Marshall on 12 Nov 2009 00:12 On Nov 11, 1:11 pm, John Jones <jonescard...(a)btinternet.com> wrote: > Can we predict the outcome of a tossed coin? Scientists and gamblers > have occasionally grappled with this problem. For the philosopher, > however, the answer is straightforward. There are no outcomes for a > tossed coin. > > For a philosopher, there is no possibility that an outcome of a tossed > coin is either heads or tails. Seen from above we may see heads, seen > from below we may see tails. > > The geometry of the coin means that we can only see one side at a time. > Which side is seen depends not on "possibilities" but on the fickle, > subjective reasons for our preferred spatial orientation that we adopt > AFTER the coin has been tossed. Your suggestion that we can "toss" a coin is obvious nonsense. From the spatial orientation of the coin, the coin itself is entirely motionless; any tossing is impossible. It may be however that the universe spins about the coin. Heads? Tails? These cannot exist without a framework, and the coin itself specifies no framework. The coin exists as a whole, undivided into "sides." Both sides exist simultaneously. Indeed, they MUST exist; there can be no possibility of a coin with only heads, or, obversely, only tails. The coin cannot imagine it, and neither can the universe, though either may give the appearance of spinning to the naive observer. Marshall j/k
From: Benj on 12 Nov 2009 00:25 On Nov 11, 7:01 pm, Uncle Al <Uncle...(a)hate.spam.net> wrote: > Uncle Al says, "Get stuck in an unpowered elevator and lavish > emergency procedures and personnel are mobilized. Get stuck on an > unpowered escalator and people look at you like you are an idiot." I got stuck on an unpowered escalator once. It took half an hour for the rest of the band to get be out! But then I play drums.
From: Androcles on 12 Nov 2009 04:25 "Benj" <bjacoby(a)iwaynet.net> wrote in message news:354fbf73-7a8c-4d4a-b81a-663aad2cb173(a)n35g2000yqm.googlegroups.com... On Nov 11, 7:01 pm, Uncle Al <Uncle...(a)hate.spam.net> wrote: > Uncle Al says, "Get stuck in an unpowered elevator and lavish > emergency procedures and personnel are mobilized. Get stuck on an > unpowered escalator and people look at you like you are an idiot." I got stuck on an unpowered escalator once. It took half an hour for the rest of the band to get be out! But then I play drums. ========================================== Obviously the rest of the band are idiots too.
From: Michael Gordge on 12 Nov 2009 04:34
On Nov 12, 2:12 pm, Marshall <marshall.spi...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On Nov 11, 1:11 pm, John Jones <jonescard...(a)btinternet.com> wrote: > > > Can we predict the outcome of a tossed coin? Scientists and gamblers > > have occasionally grappled with this problem. For the philosopher, > > however, the answer is straightforward. There are no outcomes for a > > tossed coin. > > > For a philosopher, there is no possibility that an outcome of a tossed > > coin is either heads or tails. Seen from above we may see heads, seen > > from below we may see tails. > > > The geometry of the coin means that we can only see one side at a time. > > Which side is seen depends not on "possibilities" but on the fickle, > > subjective reasons for our preferred spatial orientation that we adopt > > AFTER the coin has been tossed. > > Your suggestion that we can "toss" a coin is obvious nonsense. > From the spatial orientation of the coin, the coin itself is entirely > motionless; any tossing is impossible. It may be however that > the universe spins about the coin. Heads? Tails? These cannot > exist without a framework, and the coin itself specifies no framework. > The coin exists as a whole, undivided into "sides." Both sides > exist simultaneously. Indeed, they MUST exist; there can be no > possibility of a coin with only heads, or, obversely, only tails. The > coin cannot imagine it, and neither can the universe, though either > may give the appearance of spinning to the naive observer. > > Marshall > > j/k You're as pissed as Jones. MG |