Related papers: Probability and Ambiguity
In this paper, we discuss the ambiguous chance constrained based portfolio optimization problems, in which the perturbations associated with the input parameters are stochastic in nature, but their distributions are not known precisely. We…
The article attempts to demonstrate the rich history of one truly remarkable problem situated at the confluence of probability theory and theory of numbers - finding the probability of co-primality of two randomly selected natural numbers.…
This paper calls attention to the current state of the probability (P) domain which presents weak points at the mathematical level and more significant flaws at the application level. Popper notices how fundamental issues raised in quantum…
We examine a constrained Markov decision process under uncertain transition probabilities, with the uncertainty modeled as deviations from observed transition probabilities. We construct the uncertainty set associated with the deviations…
Here we present in a single essay a combination and completion of the several aspects of the problem of randomness of individual objects which of necessity occur scattered in our texbook "An Introduction to Kolmogorov Complexity and Its…
In Probabilistic Logic Nilsson uses the device of a probability distribution over a set of possible worlds to assign probabilities to the sentences of a logical language. In his paper Nilsson concentrated on inference and associated…
Pseudorandmness plays an important role in number theory, complexity theory and cryptography. Our aim is to use models of arithmetic to explain pseudorandomness by randomness. To this end we construct a set of models $\cal M$, a common…
The aim of this expos\'e is to make explicit the analogy between the classical notion of non-independent probability distribution and the quantum notion of entangled state. To bring that analogy forth, we consider a classical systems with…
Consider two sequences of $n$ independent and identically distributed fair coin tosses, $X=(X_1,\ldots,X_n)$ and $Y=(Y_1,\ldots,Y_n)$, which are $\rho$-correlated for each $j$, i.e. $\mathbb{P}[X_j=Y_j] = {1+\rho\over 2}$. We study the…
The Monty Hall problem is a classic probability puzzle known for its counterintuitive solution, revealing fundamental discrepancies between mathematical reasoning and human intuition. To bridge this gap, we introduce a novel explanatory…
In spite of its title, the book mostly treats probability theory: the law of large numbers (regarded as a principle); formal definition of a random variable and law of distribution; the misnamed Cauchy distribution; functions now named…
The lectures review the state of affairs in modern branch of mathematical physics called probabilistic topology. In particular we consider the following problems: (i) We estimate the probability of a trivial knot formation on the lattice…
The derivation of the quantum retrodictive probability formula involves an error, an ambiguity. The end result is correct because this error appears twice, in such a way as to cancel itself. In addition, however, the usual expression for…
I think we can agree that dealing with uncertainty is not easy. Probability is the main tool for dealing with uncertainty, and we know there are many probability-related puzzles and paradoxes. Here I describe a rather idiosyncratic…
We present two complementary proofs that, if the lengths of $n$ sticks are sampled at random, then the probability that no $p+1$ sticks can form a $(p+1)$-sided polygon can be expressed as the product of the reciprocals of a series of terms…
We show the existence of rigid combinatorial objects which previously were not known to exist. Specifically, for a wide range of the underlying parameters, we show the existence of non-trivial orthogonal arrays, $t$-designs, and $t$-wise…
The abc conjecture, one of the most famous open problems in number theory, claims that three positive integers satisfying a+b=c cannot simultaneously have significant repetition among their prime factors; in particular, the product of the…
Distributionally robust optimization (DRO) has been introduced for solving stochastic programs where the distribution of the random parameters is unknown and must be estimated by samples from that distribution. A key element of DRO is the…
Problems in optimization and geometric probability are discussed, all connected with angles subtended at an observer's eye by an object at a distance. Several of these remain unsolved.
This paper deals with (finite or infinite) sequences of arbitrary independent events in some probability space. We find sharp lower bounds for the probability of a union of such events when the sum of their probabilities is given. The…