Rare Event Probabilities

Commenters debate and calculate the statistical odds of a specific unlikely event occurring, often challenging perceptions of rarity by considering multiple trials or base rates.

📉 Falling 0.4x Science
4,156
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#390
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
4
2008
32
2009
49
2010
94
2011
107
2012
117
2013
138
2014
188
2015
149
2016
229
2017
234
2018
288
2019
261
2020
394
2021
417
2022
411
2023
357
2024
377
2025
296
2026
14

Keywords

e.g LIGO lspace.org STILL wikipedia.org probability chance odds happening chances multiples billion collision calculated likelihood

Sample Comments

awb • May 31, 2021 • View on HN

Anyone want to roughly calculate the odds of this actually happening?

brandall10 • Mar 30, 2023 • View on HN

What is the statistical chance of that happening?

loco5niner • Jun 7, 2019 • View on HN

Can suggest it's more like 999 times out of 1000?

wwwtyro • Nov 15, 2022 • View on HN

The odds of this seem astronomically small.

mr_mitm • Apr 23, 2023 • View on HN

Let's just say the probability is negligible.

picsao • Oct 13, 2021 • View on HN

The likelihood of it happening to one specific person is small. The likelihood of it happening at all is huge.

1wd • May 29, 2018 • View on HN

"Million-to-one chances...crop up nine times out of ten." https://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Million-to-one_chance

stdbrouw • Feb 2, 2021 • View on HN

Nitpick: really more like a 15% chance over 11 months.1 - (1 - 5/10000)^330 => 0.152(But I think you make a great point, it sounds like a tiny chance but it really does add up.)

rbanffy • Oct 28, 2009 • View on HN

Anyone cares to calculate the odds of this happening by accident?

cortic • Apr 6, 2021 • View on HN

A 23% chance of a 1 in 10,000 chance thing happening every 14,400 chances? That can't be right.