Tim Cook wrote:
> While the probability is equal, it doesn't mean all possible 
> combinations necessarily show up an infinite number of times in an 
> arbitrary sequence.

Why do you say that?

> The aforementioned 0102030405..9596979899 is 
> technically a possible random number with each digit 0-9 having an equal 
> probability of occurring.  An infinite sequence could be considered that 
> fails to meet the 'all possible combinations' feature.

I'm not sure I follow wht this example has to do.

>> If you have an infinite number of trials and the letter 'a' never 
>> shows up, it means it's impossible for the letter 'a' to show up.
> 
> Not really.  Randomly picking an infinite amount from the set {a,b} 
> *could* result in nothing but bbb..bbb.  

Do you have a cite to support this contention?

> That doesn't mean it's 
> impossible for the letter 'a' to show up, only that the bbb..bbb 
> sequence isn't very likely...except it's exactly the same probability as 
> any other sequence of infinite length:  1/infinity.

That's not my understanding of how the math works. Do you have any citation 
as evidence for this? Because if the letter 'a' doesn't show up after an 
*infinite* number of trials, you clearly don't have any probability for it 
to show up at all, and indeed that's what the math pages I've cited already say.


-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   There's no CD like OCD, there's no CD I knoooow!

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