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I've always thought of probability, teleologically, as an approximation of deterministic processes that are too complicated to calculate explicitly. Under very

I've always thought of probability, teleologically, as an approximation of deterministic processes that are too complicated to calculate explicitly. Under very carefully controlled circumstances, even a die becomes deterministic and feasible to predict. Just drop it sufficiently low to the ground with as close to 0 angular and linear velocity as you can. Does something intrinsic or fundamental change as you increase the height at which you drop the die? I'd say no.

deltaonefour 5y ago
>Under very carefully controlled circumstances, even a die becomes deterministic and feasible to predict. You aren't thinking deep enough. WHY is it an approximation? How come this random mathematical set of theorems and axioms happens to approximate these things? When we DON'T look at the experiment in a controlled circumstance what is the fundamental process driving it to follow the laws of probability? We in fact do not know. The phenomenon of probability is assumed... aka axiomatic. We have no further explanation for it. In fact it's encoded into a fundamental physical law. The second law of thermodynamics: Entropy must increase. It's actually a misnomer. Increasing entropy is not the law, it is the consequence. Entropy increases because disordered configurations of particles are more probable then ordered configurations. Thus over time the more probable configuration dominates the system. Hence the system becomes more and more disordered. Note the word "Probable." Thus Probability is the fundamental axiomatic law here. I understand why this is hard to process. It's because seemingly it seems like that if we understand the exact physics of a single particle it means we will understand the aggregate macro behavior of a billion particles by deriving the macro behavior from the physics of each individual particle. Turns out the aggregate behavior obeys axiomatic laws of entropy that we have no deeper explanation for. Even if you have a physics engine simulate the rolls of 10000000 physical dice approximately 1/6 of those dice come out to be 6. Why? We don't even know why the simulation behaves that way let alone the real world.

deltaonefour 5y ago

>Under very carefully controlled circumstances, even a die becomes deterministic and feasible to predict. You aren't thinking deep enough. WHY is it an approximation? How come this random mathematical set of theorems and axioms happens to approximate these things? When we DON'T look at the experiment in a controlled circumstance what is the fundamental process driving it to follow the laws of probability? We in fact do not know. The phenomenon of probability is assumed... aka axiomatic. We have no further explanation for it. In fact it's encoded into a fundamental physical law. The second law of thermodynamics: Entropy must increase. It's actually a misnomer. Increasing entropy is not the law, it is the consequence. Entropy increases because disordered configurations of particles are more probable then ordered configurations. Thus over time the more probable configuration dominates the system. Hence the system becomes more and more disordered. Note the word "Probable." Thus Probability is the fundamental axiomatic law here. I understand why this is hard to process. It's because seemingly it seems like that if we understand the exact physics of a single particle it means we will understand the aggregate macro behavior of a billion particles by deriving the macro behavior from the physics of each individual particle. Turns out the aggregate behavior obeys axiomatic laws of entropy that we have no deeper explanation for. Even if you have a physics engine simulate the rolls of 10000000 physical dice approximately 1/6 of those dice come out to be 6. Why? We don't even know why the simulation behaves that way let alone the real world.