Tuesday, February 08, 2022

there is the story of the statistician who told a friend that he never takes airplanes:

When asked why, he replied that he computed the probability that there be a bomb on the plane, and that although the probability was low, it was too high for his comfort. 

 A week later, the friend met him on a plane and asked him why he changed his theory. He replied: ‘I didn’t change my theory. It’s just that I subsequently computed the probability that there simultaneously be two bombs on the plane. This is low enough for my comfort, and so I now carry my own bomb.’ 

 — Raymond Smullyan, A Mixed Bag, 2016

3 comments:

  1. First heard that joke back in the 80s

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  2. I think it's older than that, closer to 1970. But it was funny then and funny still.

    My dad was a statistician by trade and he liked it too.

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  3. Hysterical! Thanks

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