William M. Briggs

The Week In Doom — Religion Of Man Triumphant Edition

Item They're tightening the vise. As predicted, they're coming for your money. As one tweet down in the thread says (my emphasis): '"EU needs #digital single market. #Regulation should be…

Culture Statistics

The Death of Christmas — Guest Post by Uncle Mike

Last December 19th President Trump ordered the withdrawal of 2,000 American troops from Syria. The New York Times called the action "abrupt and chaotic" and reported: The decision brought a…

Statistics

A Case Of Bad Statistics In An IQ-Intelligence Study

We're going to soon talk more about "IQ" and "intelligence". I'm working on a more in-depth article on the subject to carefully explicate the vast over-certainties I see on "both…

Fun

How’d We Do On Our 2018 Predictions?

How'd we do? Let me put it this way: the Magic 8 Ball is in no danger of losing its position as top soothsayer. We were game, but overall there…

Fun

Register Your Predictions For 2019!

As has been our tradition these many years, it's time to register our predictions for the coming year. We look at how well we did last year tomorrow. Rules: Number…

Statistics

The Probability Of Your Existence

A version of this column originally ran 7 July 2014. To the nearest order of magnitude, there have existed, including us, about 100 billion human beings. This proves what was…

Statistics

The Monty Hall Problem — Solved!

In honor of Monty Hall, who passed away this past weekend (in October 2017), this classic article (which ran long ago, the date lost due to the hacking, solving his…

Statistics

How Many Geniuses Are There?

This post originally appeared 15 September 2008. Here is a question I often give on exams: What is the probability that the next child to be born will be a…

Buzz on Against The Anthropic PrincipleMay 17, 2025
Aren't men supposed to keep their hair short and women long, according to the Bible? Regarding the image.
Johnno on The Nuances and Challenges of Federal Funding for Research — Guest Post by An AcademicMay 16, 2025
There is another casualty of university research funding. Foreign professors hired to do research but who can't teach effectively due…
Brian (bulaoren) on The Nuances and Challenges of Federal Funding for Research — Guest Post by An AcademicMay 16, 2025
I now live in Arkansas, but over the course of my life, I have lived in a good few countries…
N. Ominous on The Sun Made To Set On The British Empire – Via Science!May 15, 2025
<> Yes, it's utterly absurd, but I'm not sure that it is an argument not to do the experiments. If…
Tony Cooke on Class 50: Independence Versus IrrelevanceMay 15, 2025
if you are using an Apple PC then you can use MathCapture to get the correct presentation of the probabilities…

William M. Briggs

Class 50: Independence Versus Irrelevance

The Nuances and Challenges of Federal Funding for Research — Guest Post by An Academic

Eggs and ‘PFAS-Easter’ or Selling Fear on the Day of Resurrection — Guest Post by Jaap Hanekamp

Academics Call Pregnancy A Disease

Class 49: Relevance & Importance Of Evidence In Models

Miracle Or Coincidence? What Are The Chances?

Reproducibility Crises Will Be Forever With Us Until We Abandon Classical Statistics

AI Cannot Hallucinate Nor Lie

Class 48: What Is A Model?

I’m Going To Sue Scientists Who Gave Me Apoplexy Over Claims Of Climate Liability

Researchers Tell Models To Say People Will Die Without Your Money

The Sun Made To Set On The British Empire – Via Science!

Class 47: Billions Of Models!

A New Physics Arises: Irreducible by Federico Faggin Reviewed

Let Go Your Wee P! — Reader Help Requested

Class 46: Explanation & Abductive Weakness

The Educational Empire Strikes Back

Can Jinn & The Evil Eye Cause Disease?

Science: The Bigger The Hole In The Head, The More Politically Active

Class 45: The False Hope Of Falsification

New Paper Says Flu Vax Increases Chance Of Flu: Let’s Look

Class 50: Independence Versus Irrelevance

The Nuances and Challenges of Federal Funding for Research — Guest Post by An Academic

The Week In Doom — Religion Of Man Triumphant Edition

The Death of Christmas — Guest Post by Uncle Mike

A Case Of Bad Statistics In An IQ-Intelligence Study

How’d We Do On Our 2018 Predictions?

Register Your Predictions For 2019!

The Probability Of Your Existence

The Monty Hall Problem — Solved!

How Many Geniuses Are There?

There Is No Culture Without Inequality: Stove 1

Impose Your Beliefs Before They Impose Theirs

Telekinesis: Ideas In Our Reenchantment & Rectification

The Physics Of Blessings: Ideas In Our Reenchantment & Rectification