Please listen to the following Radio Lab episode entitled "A Very Lucky Wind", in which Laura Buxton, an English girl just shy of ten years old, didn't realize the strange course her life would take after her red balloon was swept away into the sky. It drifted south over England, bearing a small label that said, "Please send back to Laura Buxton." What happened next is something you just couldn't make up - well, you could, but you'd be accused of being absolutely, completely, appallingly unrealistic.
On a journey to find out how we should think about Laura's story, and luck and chance more generally, Jad and Robert join Deborah Nolan to perform a simple coin-toss experiment. And Jay Koehler, an expert in the role of probability and statistics in law and business, demystifies some of Jad and Robert's miraculous misconceptions.
When you are done listening, now it is time to reflect and process the information. With all of the examples and skepticism provided, now it is time to decide for yourself... Do you agree with the statistician or with the idea of destiny/luck?
Please respond to the question, "Do you think that factors/phenomenon that occur are random occurrences or human destiny?" Click directly below this posting where it says comment, and type in your response. Explain your answers. Use examples/stories provided in the podcast (to show that you listened to it), as well as personal examples (from your own life). Enjoy and I look forward to reading your responses. (After posting/recording your response... please take the time to read at least two of your classmates responses and then list one question for each of your two classmates based on their responses.)
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