return2ozma@lemmy.worldBanned from community to News@lemmy.world · 1 month agoBarack Obama says aliens ‘are real’, but not in Area 51www.newsweek.comexternal-linkmessage-square98linkfedilinkarrow-up1224
arrow-up1224external-linkBarack Obama says aliens ‘are real’, but not in Area 51www.newsweek.comreturn2ozma@lemmy.worldBanned from community to News@lemmy.world · 1 month agomessage-square98linkfedilink
minus-squaregrue@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up1·1 month agoAre “statistically impossible” and “extremely unlikely” not synonyms?
minus-squareIconoclast@feddit.uklinkfedilinkarrow-up7·1 month agoNo. “Impossible” is an absolute statement, whereas “extremely unlikely” leaves a non-zero chance for the unlikely thing to actually happen.
minus-squaregrue@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up1·1 month agoI didn’t say “impossible,” though. I said “statistically impossible.”
minus-squareIconoclast@feddit.uklinkfedilinkarrow-up8·1 month agoExactly. That’s why I corrected that it’s statistically extremely unlikely but not impossible.
minus-squarenew_world_odor@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up1·1 month agoNo. Statistically impossible means that according to statistics it canNOT occur. Extremely unlikely means that in a given percentage of cases, it CAN occur.
Are “statistically impossible” and “extremely unlikely” not synonyms?
No. “Impossible” is an absolute statement, whereas “extremely unlikely” leaves a non-zero chance for the unlikely thing to actually happen.
I didn’t say “impossible,” though. I said “statistically impossible.”
Exactly. That’s why I corrected that it’s statistically extremely unlikely but not impossible.
No.
No. Statistically impossible means that according to statistics it canNOT occur. Extremely unlikely means that in a given percentage of cases, it CAN occur.