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No error, it means every other coefficient in the p.g.f. is negative, which is like saying that certain outcomes have negative probability. In the p.g.f. for th
by jaekwon 12y ago
No error, it means every other coefficient in the p.g.f. is negative, which is like saying that certain outcomes have negative probability. In the p.g.f. for the double coin example, the coefficient of the monomial for z^0 is 1/4, meaning that the probability of two coins flipping to both tails is 1/4. If the coefficient were negative there, it doesn't make sense intuitively but that's the "magic" when it comes to these magical half coins.
- grondilu 12y agoI'm sorry I was not clear. It's not the negative part I don't get, it's the "every other number". Other than what? I'm not an english native speaker so it might be a math-related english expression I don't know. Is it?
- mhlakhani 12y ago"every other number" == "every second number", i.e. the first, third, fifth ... coefficients are positive, while the second, fourth, sixth .. coefficients are negative. Hope this helps.
- jaekwon 12y ago"every other X" usually means, every even or every odd X, like: ... 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 ... Every other number is 0 above.