News - Twitter buzzing with UARS satellite jokes

[HEXUS]

Tweeters make light of inevitable crash of UARS satellite.

Read more.

[Tunnah]

surely he has less odds of winning the lottery if he gets struck by the satellite ?
odds of x = n1
odds of y =n2
odds of (x+y) = ok this is where my algebra knowledge comes to an end, would it be (n1xn2) or (n1+n2) ?

o balls to it, its a lot

[this_is_gav]

surely he has less odds of winning the lottery if he gets struck by the satellite ?
odds of x = n1
odds of y =n2
odds of (x+y) = ok this is where my algebra knowledge comes to an end, would it be (n1xn2) or (n1+n2) ?

o balls to it, its a lot

And the odds of surviving being hit by a satellite to claim your lottery prize would be what?

[cameronlite]

And the odds of surviving being hit by a satellite to claim your lottery prize would be what?

all.

[Biscuit]

What a way to go though, pretty spectacular!

[[GSV]Trig]

The way I look at it, you have a 50/50 chance, it will either hit you, or miss you...

[CK_1985]

Mathematics is taking a real beating on this thread...

[miniyazz]

surely he has less odds of winning the lottery if he gets struck by the satellite ?
odds of x = n1
odds of y =n2
odds of (x+y) = ok this is where my algebra knowledge comes to an end, would it be (n1xn2) or (n1+n2) ?

o balls to it, its a lot

They're independent events, so nope, the odds of winning the lottery stay the same

[badass]

The way I look at it, you have a 50/50 chance, it will either hit you, or miss you...

Chuckle

[Tunnah]

They're independent events, so nope, the odds of winning the lottery stay the same

o ya i know but i meant the odds of being both hit by a satellite and winning the lottery

like how being struck my lightening twice is infinitely less likely than being struck by it once

[McPhee]

Apparently, the odds of getting hit by the satellite are (once again, depending on which source you read) anything from 1-in-3,200 to one-in-several-trillion

There's a one in 3200 chance of it hitting a human being somewhere on Earth. There's nearly 7 billion people on this planet. 3,200x7,000,000,000=22,000,000,000,000. There's a one in (roughly) 22 trillion chance of it hitting you. That's why there's two figures, not because there's a 7bn variation in scientists' probability calculations.

[cameronlite]

o ya i know but i meant the odds of being both hit by a satellite and winning the lottery

like how being struck my lightening twice is infinitely less likely than being struck by it once

Well, the odds of being hit by lightning once in a year is 1 in 750,000 or 1.3333E-4% so twice is 1.3333E-6^2 which is 1.7778E-12.

So, after the first lighning strike, your pile of smouldering remains are 1.3333 million times less likely to be reheated than DeForest Kelley (assuming he hasn't already been superheated).

At least, i think so...

[Tunnah]

gotta say i'm lovin' this thread haha

also, i want a pet ted

[miniyazz]

Well, the odds of being hit by lightning once in a year is 1 in 750,000 or 1.3333E-4% so twice is 1.3333E-6^2 which is 1.7778E-12.

So, after the first lighning strike, your pile of smouldering remains are 1.3333 million times less likely to be reheated than DeForest Kelley (assuming he hasn't already been superheated).

At least, i think so...

Assuming independent events, after being struck by lightning once, your chance of being struck again is the same chance as anyone else - i.e. still 1 in 750,000, if that figure is correct. The chance of being struck by lightning twice is a very different probability and is, as you say, 1 in 750,000^2.
In reality they're not independent events though, as if you're struck once you are probably high risk (e.g. enjoy playing golf in storms, that sort of thing). That's if you survive the first strike, of course..

o ya i know but i meant the odds of being both hit by a satellite and winning the lottery

like how being struck my lightening twice is infinitely less likely than being struck by it once

Ah I see. But still, while the odds of both being struck by lightning and winning the lottery are very small, his odds of winning the lottery after being struck by lightning is the same as ever. It's all in the wording