Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Prosecutor’s Fallacy

Bayes’ Theorem … A Simple Example

Notation: Prob(A) means “the probability of event A” and Prob(A|B) is “the probability of event A, given that event B has happened.”

Bayes’ Theorem: Prob(A|B)xProb(B) = Prob(B|A)xProb(A)

Now, Prob(A|B) and Prob(B|A) are often confused by even the most intelligent of people. The confusion often appears in legal cases and is sometimes called the Prosecutor’s Fallacy. Bayes’ Theorem relates these two distinct conditional probabilities.

Followed by a straightforward example of why this really matters.

Free the Quarks!

Calculating the strong force

A watershed: the emergence of QCD

We had arrived at a very specific candidate theory of the strong interaction, one based on precise, beautiful equations. And we had specific, quantitative proposals for testing it.

See also the Bag Model of Quark Confinement. Corry Lee gave a great explanation of this in her talk about the Higgs Boson at Chicon 7 last summer.

CSI: Bosworth Field, and related matters

… the final moments of Richard III’s life…

On a related note, Richard III’s body becomes subject of rival claims from Leicester and York

In case you were wondering: Why the princes in the tower are staying six feet under.

“The recent discovery of Richard III does not change the abbey’s position, which is that the mortal remains of two young children, widely believed since the 17th century to be the princes in tower, should not be disturbed.”