Date:         Fri, 29 Sep 2000 18:08:26 -0700
Reply-To:     "William W. Viergever" <wwvierg@IBM.NET>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "William W. Viergever" <wwvierg@IBM.NET>
Subject:      Re: In Celebration of a milestone!!!
Comments: To: Ian Whitlock <WHITLOI1@WESTAT.com>
In-Reply-To:  <08B08C9FA5EBD311A2CC009027D5BF818B5969@remailnt2-re01.west
              at.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 04:00 PM 09/29/2000, Ian Whitlock wrote:
>William,
>
>More interesting would be the St. Petersburg paradox.  We play a game.
>I flip a coin.  If it comes up heads you get a dollar and the game ends,
>otherwise I flip again.  Heads and you get two dollars and the game ends,
>otherwise I flip again.  Heads and you get 4 dollars and the game ends.
>
>So if it takes n flips to get a head you get 2**n dollars.
>
>So you get everything.  Now the question is, how much are you willing to
>pay me to play the game.  The paradox?  The expected payoff is infinite.
>
>Will a mathematician pay more than a lottery player to play this game?


Damn - I have *got* to look out for you Ian <g>.

This sounds like one those "trickster" queries similar to the one you posed to me and Sashole <love that moniker!> in Indy after we had finished our great dinner at the rotating top of the Hyatt:

"How many times did we go around?" you asked as we were regaining our centrifigally-challenged balance <g>.

IIRC, Paul was calculating (hashing) radians, I was counting how many bottles of wine we had drunk, and Doris was chuckling uncontrollably as the pseudo-savants floundered (*both* of us were way off!!!!).

So, not knowing how *fast* you might flip the coins, I'll give ya just a buck!

Now where was Sig when we needed him? <lol>


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William W. Viergever                      Voice  : (916) 483-8398
Viergever & Associates                    Fax    : (916) 486-1488
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"Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter."
- Satchel Paige -

"Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese."
- Billie Burke, Glinda the Good Witch
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