{domain:"www.qualitydigest.com",server:"169.47.211.87"} Skip to main content

User account menu
Main navigation
  • Topics
    • Customer Care
    • FDA Compliance
    • Healthcare
    • Innovation
    • Lean
    • Management
    • Metrology
    • Operations
    • Risk Management
    • Six Sigma
    • Standards
    • Statistics
    • Supply Chain
    • Sustainability
    • Training
  • Videos/Webinars
    • All videos
    • Product Demos
    • Webinars
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Submit B2B Press Release
    • Write for us
  • Metrology Hub
  • Training
  • Subscribe
  • Log in
Mobile Menu
  • Home
  • Topics
    • 3D Metrology-CMSC
    • Customer Care
    • FDA Compliance
    • Healthcare
    • Innovation
    • Lean
    • Management
    • Metrology
    • Operations
    • Risk Management
    • Six Sigma
    • Standards
    • Statistics
    • Supply Chain
    • Sustainability
    • Training
  • Login / Subscribe
  • More...
    • All Features
    • All News
    • All Videos
    • Contact
    • Training

The Importance of Understanding Conditional Probability

It helps to build a table

Rip Stauffer
Wed, 06/06/2018 - 12:03
  • Comment
  • RSS

Social Sharing block

  • Print
  • Add new comment
Body

A lot of people in my classes struggle with conditional probability. Don’t feel alone, though. A lot of people get this (and simple probability, for that matter) wrong. If you read Innumeracy by John Allen Paulos (Hill and Wang, 1989), or The Power of Logical Thinking by Marilyn vos Savant (St. Martin’s Griffin, 1997), you’ll see examples of how a misunderstanding or misuse of this has put innocent people in prison and ruined many careers. It’s one of the reasons I’m passionate about statistics, but it’s hard for me, too, because it’s not easy to work out in your head. I always have to build a table.

ADVERTISEMENT

The best thing to do is to be completely process-driven; identify what’s given, then follow the process and the formulas religiously. After a while, you can start to see it intuitively, but it does take a while.

In my MBA stats class, one of the ones that always stumped the students was a conditional problem:

 …

Want to continue?
Log in or create a FREE account.
Enter your username or email address
Enter the password that accompanies your username.
By logging in you agree to receive communication from Quality Digest. Privacy Policy.
Create a FREE account
Forgot My Password

Comments

Submitted by Dr. Robert Lloyd (not verified) on Wed, 06/06/2018 - 09:38

"This is one of the best

"This is one of the best short articles I hvae ever read on this topic.  Good examples and clear writing.  I will use it in my classes.  Thanks.  RCL

PS  Note that probability is misspelled in the title.  It is printed as 'probablity.'

  • Reply

Submitted by Quality Digest on Wed, 06/06/2018 - 10:02

In reply to "This is one of the best by Dr. Robert Lloyd (not verified)

Thanks

Welll... we did say that probablity... probabababilty... probability was a problem
  • Reply

Add new comment

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
Please login to comment.
      

© 2025 Quality Digest. Copyright on content held by Quality Digest or by individual authors. Contact Quality Digest for reprint information.
“Quality Digest" is a trademark owned by Quality Circle Institute Inc.

footer
  • Home
  • Print QD: 1995-2008
  • Print QD: 2008-2009
  • Videos
  • Privacy Policy
  • Write for us
footer second menu
  • Subscribe to Quality Digest
  • About Us
  • Contact Us