Hi Guys, Recently i read about that the possibility for you to be in a plane crash is so low ( 1 in 5 million ) . And as the numbers say that it’s unlikely for me to be in such position. So, my question is : aren’t these numbers apply to everyone?, and if so, what do you say to the people who died in a plane crash who know that the possibility for them to die in a plane crash is so low for them to die but they died anyway? and why statisticians assume that it’s unlikely for me to die in the next plane crash if the numbers apply to everyone?. So, please explain to me like i’m five
In: Mathematics
I need to discuss the risk of bad things happening to them with people in my work every day. What I say is that statistics like that apply to the population, not the individual. The risk within the population might be one in a million. But your individual risk is either zero or a hundred percent. Talking about the individual, it either happens to you, or it doesn’t. There is no such thing as being only a millionth involved in a plane crash. How, then, is the best way to explain risk to someone? I find it’s easiest to compare it to something that is just as likely. For example, there is a one in a million chance of throwing 20 heads in a row when tossing a coin (that’s a real statistic).
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