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Originally Posted by jfuh I was under the impression that it was over 99 numbers - there was no intention of "slipping it by".
So re-entering the figures what we get is 1/55*1/54*1/53*1/52*1/51*1/42 = 5.7 x 10^-11
So ten times less than the probability I calculated out before.
So as I said, do the math.
I don't think you are making it up more so that I think you are academically lazy - as I had demonstrated by too lazily looking up the actual values of a power ball lottery range. |
We are both even more lazy than you realize. You properly did the equation with the wrong numbers and multiple sites also disagreed with you so I assumed using the correct numbers would match up with all the the websitees 140 millions odds prediction so I just assumed that would solve it. But I was concerned after you redid the equation, and so I did too, and came up with a number much higher than all the websites were claiming and so I looked into it some more and realized that the key here is that the numbers do not have to be in order like we both thought. If they were then you would be right.
It really does come out to 146 million if they balls do not need to be in order, which is the way it is played. This link explains it if you care:
About Odds
Now back to the point of this... one does need to play out the odds with trials and time before something can be achieved, in this case winning the lottery. So, as my link said it was one in a trillion odds of that chemical metabolism to evolve meant that in real life on average we need one trillion cell divisions before we get that trait. Therefor that need has to be met before we likely will see the trait, sometimes it will be more and sometimes less like I've said.
Another thing, since the way the powerball lottery is played the odds of winning are one in 146 million or so, and that takes several weeks to several months to have a winner, then if it was one in a hundred billion, an increased factor of I think one thousand, then it would take several years to several decades for anyone to win the lottery on average, because the need is not immediately met. (billions of more combinations than people playing)
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Actually yes it does matter. It's the very core of the problem because you are equating the probability of an intermediate appearing to actually equate to the number of intermediates. Two distinctly different situations.
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[/quote] I'm sorry this was supposed to be implied by my argument.
There were no known intermediates between the first generation and the one that had the new trait. Therefor that makes it the first intermediate between something of higher complexity.
So with each new trait, each new supposed intermediate between something more complex like a jellyfish, there will be trillions of cell divisions/reproductions.
It doesn't help your case either way; having trillions of intermediates (that doesn't make sense anyway because most things aren't trillions of times different) or trillions of reproductions between EACH of a few thousand intermediates before we get to a jellyfish. You can pick whichever one you want. All I'm saying is that we can't have trillions of jellyfish "A" before we get to slightly different with new trait jellyfish "B" and then trillions more to get to slightly different with new trait "C" and so on: they wouldn't fit in the ocean.