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Rational Urbanism
Home » Rational Urbanism » Probably

Probably

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If a city averages 15 murders per year, then the likelihood that two of those murders would fall on the same date is somewhere around 25%. If the number of murders reaches 23, the probability is 50% .

Springfield is in a situation where the number of homicides which have occurred this year are below the total which had taken place last year at this time, and they are taking place at a pace which would set a record for fewest homicides in a decade…but the news is bad because two have taken place in a recent 24 hour period AND 3 in 10 days.

When only 2 homicides had occurred in 4 months I wrote about my frustration that there was nothing mentioning this fact in the media, even while I stated that it was not statistically significant, because I knew that when the story reversed itself the media would not hesitate to exaggerate the importance of that change.

I wish I could say that prediction required some kind, any kind, of extreme insight. There is so much more to say about this, and I will be saying it soon. For now it should suffice to say that “innumeracy” is widespread and it leads to irrationality.

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  1. Pingback: Rational Urbanism | No One Is Ever In Danger In Suburbia

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