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Without additional data, the default would be that the coin is fair. Since... heartbreak Send a noteboard - 05/10/2012 05:20:21 PM
...typically coins are effectively random. It is rare to find a non-effectively random coin.

I really don't want to get into explaining sample size and how to calculate it. I'm tired. Long day yesterday, didn't sleep well last night, had a test first thing this morning.

But if you want to see for yourself if your sample size is large enough. Find a quarter and conduct five to ten tests. Flipping the coin 100 times each test. Count the number of heads for each test and calculate the percentage of heads for each test. You should see how much the percentages vary. It isn't until you get around 1000 flips per test that you start to see percentages that are close together.
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Romney CRUSHES Obama in First Debate - Leads Swing States by 4% Anonymous2000 - 04/10/2012 05:32:32 AM 1119 Views
So, is that from a "corrected", "non-skewed" poll? Larry - 04/10/2012 05:51:58 AM 630 Views
Nope, I checked Betfair, the odds on Romney continue to drift Sports_Gambler - 04/10/2012 10:02:16 AM 717 Views
Wow, you suck at Googling! Anonymous2000 - 04/10/2012 01:14:22 PM 828 Views
Which poll at your link shows anything but Obama leading every swing state but NC? Joel - 04/10/2012 05:41:31 PM 740 Views
No, you just apparently suck at math Larry - 04/10/2012 07:17:20 PM 592 Views
I know you are sad, but your Messiah may still win.....you never know! Anonymous2000 - 04/10/2012 07:23:16 PM 658 Views
your mental instability and misperception of reality are worrisome -- please seek professional help moondog - 04/10/2012 07:54:45 PM 746 Views
Coming from you, that's a huge compliment! Thanks. *NM* Anonymous2000 - 04/10/2012 08:21:49 PM 474 Views
I'm more of a syndicalist, sorry Larry - 04/10/2012 08:43:48 PM 691 Views
Ooh, would you mind talking more about syndicalism? Burr - 04/10/2012 11:28:40 PM 597 Views
Sure, but I'm no doctrainaire on this Larry - 05/10/2012 01:13:19 AM 765 Views
Thank you! Reading the wikipedia entry was making my eyes glaze over. But I can try again now. *NM* Burr - 05/10/2012 02:14:50 PM 522 Views
It really should be mandatory for everyone to read factcheck.org after every debate. *NM* Nebhead - 04/10/2012 09:38:24 AM 368 Views
Seriously. The number of times I squinted and thought, "Wait, that doesn't sound quite right" beetnemesis - 04/10/2012 02:01:12 PM 720 Views
Romney addressed that head-on Tom - 04/10/2012 02:13:44 PM 613 Views
Yeah, that "20 million" comment raised my eyebrows. beetnemesis - 04/10/2012 04:15:49 PM 975 Views
Why are you not counting the elderly? Tom - 04/10/2012 07:33:28 PM 865 Views
Yeah, but it ain't, and it was Obamas job to make that unnecessary. Joel - 04/10/2012 03:26:50 PM 727 Views
Obama - Lost and Bewildered without Teleprompter.....funny stuff! Anonymous2000 - 04/10/2012 01:10:40 PM 645 Views
Which part of Romneys socialism was your favorite? Joel - 04/10/2012 03:38:17 PM 748 Views
I keep thinking that was what killed Obama. nossy - 04/10/2012 04:45:02 PM 668 Views
I suspected that was a lot of it, yeah, but he should have been prepared for the Etch-a-Sketch. Joel - 04/10/2012 05:25:35 PM 652 Views
living in a bubble where everyone agreed on those things and is what killed him random thoughts - 04/10/2012 05:59:29 PM 696 Views
why do you silly lefites keep acting like Romney is the first guy to move to the center? random thoughts - 04/10/2012 05:46:13 PM 858 Views
The primary was six months ago, and endorsing every aspect of limited welfare states is not centrist Joel - 04/10/2012 06:00:56 PM 682 Views
can you support that insane argument? *NM* random thoughts - 05/10/2012 01:10:11 PM 247 Views
Romney explicitly endorsed regulations, soaking the rich, entitlements and public education funding. Joel - 05/10/2012 02:25:49 PM 698 Views
you could have just said no random thoughts - 05/10/2012 05:25:44 PM 660 Views
Since when was Romney (or any Republican since TRs day) for more regulation or hiring more teachers? Joel - 06/10/2012 01:33:53 PM 726 Views
Well Bush was pushing for more banking regulations but Barney Franks blocked him random thoughts - 07/10/2012 03:52:50 PM 820 Views
A2000, your message should read: heartbreak - 04/10/2012 03:42:18 PM 668 Views
I consider the margin of error implied. Joel - 04/10/2012 05:49:50 PM 572 Views
Unfortunately statistics does not support that. heartbreak - 04/10/2012 06:11:56 PM 686 Views
Of course they do; the law of averages supports that. Joel - 04/10/2012 06:46:27 PM 717 Views
Poll numbers aren't random so even if the law of averages could be applied to a small data set... heartbreak - 04/10/2012 07:05:49 PM 596 Views
If not random, they are indicative (if not necessary conclusive,) and the data set is large enough. Joel - 04/10/2012 08:55:24 PM 585 Views
Let me rephrase: the law of averages is a belief. You are basing your conclusion on a belief. heartbreak - 04/10/2012 09:23:50 PM 660 Views
I have never used the Law of Averages to mean anything except the (proven) Law of Large Numbers. Joel - 05/10/2012 09:22:56 AM 772 Views
I'm pretty sure that 136 is not a large number. *NM* heartbreak - 05/10/2012 12:20:35 PM 393 Views
That is a matter of opinion, but for a binary event I think it huge. Joel - 05/10/2012 12:42:24 PM 697 Views
Without additional data, the default would be that the coin is fair. Since... heartbreak - 05/10/2012 05:20:21 PM 626 Views
After 136 trials the DEFAULT assumption no longer applies in the face of ample hard data. Joel - 06/10/2012 04:02:51 PM 752 Views
I did the same experiment I suggested for you. heartbreak - 06/10/2012 04:45:28 PM 600 Views
Still not a 3:1 ratio. Joel - 06/10/2012 06:09:00 PM 835 Views
Let me try and put it a slightly different way. heartbreak - 06/10/2012 08:12:35 PM 701 Views
The more lopsided/large the trial, the more LIKELY the coin is unfair;weight is the only way to KNOW Joel - 07/10/2012 12:09:27 PM 847 Views
You're completely missing the point. heartbreak - 07/10/2012 03:34:29 PM 699 Views
But 100 polls isn't analogous to 100 coin flips. Each of thousands of individuals is a coin flip. Burr - 07/10/2012 11:05:13 PM 685 Views
that is why you can't base things on just one poll random thoughts - 05/10/2012 01:27:18 AM 771 Views
You are making the same mistake Joel is making. You should read our discussion. *NM* heartbreak - 05/10/2012 01:50:01 AM 448 Views
there is a difference between statistical errors and model or method errors random thoughts - 05/10/2012 03:28:38 AM 657 Views
There is a difference between the law of averages and the law of large numbers. heartbreak - 05/10/2012 04:45:00 AM 852 Views
you left out part of that wiki quote you pasted random thoughts - 05/10/2012 05:30:52 AM 797 Views
You still haven't justified the application of the law of large numbers. heartbreak - 05/10/2012 12:24:51 PM 551 Views
I suggest you take some time to understand what I wrote and get back to me random thoughts - 05/10/2012 01:12:03 PM 581 Views
I obviously must have missed where you justified the use of the law of large numbers. heartbreak - 05/10/2012 04:43:51 PM 632 Views
WellI did that twice and I am waiting for you to refute what I said *NM* random thoughts - 05/10/2012 05:28:18 PM 430 Views
Since you are unwilling to be helpful... heartbreak - 05/10/2012 05:50:47 PM 741 Views
The law is a trend throughout, not a pass/fail based on if the number of polls is "large enough" Burr - 06/10/2012 03:26:33 PM 727 Views
I'm not saying that the law of large numbers doesn't make the margin of error less when... heartbreak - 06/10/2012 04:55:16 PM 607 Views
decades of polling history say you are wrong random thoughts - 07/10/2012 04:08:45 PM 892 Views
Stating that, "decades of polling history say you are wrong" doesn't prove your point. heartbreak - 07/10/2012 05:35:57 PM 576 Views
you are either ignoring what I am saying or you are mentally unable to understand it so I am done random thoughts - 07/10/2012 06:11:22 PM 534 Views
As you wish. I'm starting to get the same feeling from you as well. So whatever. But before you go.. heartbreak - 07/10/2012 07:20:17 PM 685 Views
can wait for Ryan vs Bozo the VP random thoughts - 04/10/2012 06:07:30 PM 542 Views
+1 - that debate is going to be comical! Anonymous2000 - 04/10/2012 07:24:26 PM 655 Views
I would end up with alchohol posioning *NM* random thoughts - 04/10/2012 10:16:51 PM 399 Views
If Biden performs as expected... Tom - 04/10/2012 07:46:16 PM 688 Views
your take on obama's foreign policy debate performance does not seem like reality moondog - 04/10/2012 08:00:51 PM 629 Views
I never would have thought Romney could lay such a beatdown on Obama as I saw last night. Narg - 04/10/2012 08:55:46 PM 701 Views
we saw the anti-romney last night. i doubt obama is going to be so flat-footed against him next time moondog - 04/10/2012 10:35:21 PM 627 Views
Hilarious. Narg - 04/10/2012 11:20:32 PM 582 Views
Re: Hilarious. moondog - 05/10/2012 12:27:33 AM 591 Views
Why can it not be both? Joel - 05/10/2012 12:58:59 PM 730 Views
by that you mean he isn't the Romney the left tried to pretend he was and now they are mad random thoughts - 05/10/2012 12:53:00 AM 736 Views
right.... that whole 47% thing is a totally moderate position for a politician to take... *NM* moondog - 05/10/2012 04:32:25 AM 357 Views
about as moderate as thinking the government didn't help New Orleans because it has a lot of blacks random thoughts - 05/10/2012 04:51:15 AM 650 Views
if you only have obama's comments from LAST election in 2008 then you have nothing moondog - 05/10/2012 03:38:07 PM 585 Views
who would you consider our number one geopolitical foe? random thoughts - 04/10/2012 10:12:53 PM 708 Views
China is far more dangerous. *NM* Ghavrel - 05/10/2012 07:23:06 AM 304 Views
Whoa, was not expecting that point of agreement. Joel - 05/10/2012 12:35:35 PM 737 Views
I'm not frightened of them, but they're hardly an ally. *NM* Ghavrel - 05/10/2012 03:55:45 PM 405 Views
I am not frightened, but am concerned. Joel - 06/10/2012 01:27:40 PM 709 Views
they may be more dangerous but that doesn't that doesn't automatically make them first random thoughts - 05/10/2012 01:09:30 PM 708 Views
name two foreign policy decisions russia has blocked since 2008 *NM* moondog - 05/10/2012 03:41:15 PM 337 Views
That's fair enough. *NM* Ghavrel - 05/10/2012 03:54:56 PM 351 Views
It's generally both of them, really, isn't it? Legolas - 05/10/2012 10:03:39 PM 583 Views
Agreed; much of it is that both China and Russia profit handsomely from nuclear proliferation. Joel - 06/10/2012 01:55:21 PM 710 Views
They both block us in the Middle East but Russia blocks us in Europe o a much larger degree random thoughts - 07/10/2012 04:22:40 PM 637 Views
WOW - Even the liberal CNN Poll confirms Romney's crushing victory. Anonymous2000 - 04/10/2012 07:27:28 PM 737 Views
I could have crushed either of them in that debate TheCrownless - 04/10/2012 09:26:07 PM 719 Views
I watched it now. A few thoughts (albeit rather late): Legolas - 05/10/2012 09:46:02 PM 771 Views
You are correct on all points. Avendesora - 07/10/2012 03:12:51 AM 879 Views
"There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe." Joel - 07/10/2012 02:03:49 PM 1161 Views
you are missing a key point random thoughts - 07/10/2012 04:34:17 PM 677 Views
Am I missing that point? I thought I said clearly enough that I thought Romney was better. *NM* Legolas - 07/10/2012 08:47:42 PM 411 Views
maybe, seemed that way to me random thoughts - 08/10/2012 03:18:18 PM 655 Views
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