On 26 Jan 2005 11:02:38 -0800, "Gus" wrote:

The point is, bonehead, that the "bucket of water" example has nothing
whatsoever to do with woodworking, dust collection, dust explosions, or
anything else even remotely relevant.

Obviously, I cannot state, with certainty, the chances of anything
bursting into flame. Nor can you. Conversely, you cannot state, with
certainty, that something will "never" burst into flame.
It's not a question of flammability but of precision in meaning.

Actually, that is not precisely true. Probability theory comprehends the
fact that there are events for which the probability of occurence is
exactly zero as well as events for which the probability of occurence is
exactly 1. In the case of what you are citing above, one can, with
absolute certainty state that the probability of a container of helium
bursting into a chemical flame is exactly zero since helium is an inert gas
and will not combine with oxygen to combust. Another example of absolute
certainty: conservation of mass in chemical reactions. These are events
for which the probabilities don't approach zero or approach one, they can
be stated as being identically equal to zero or one.




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The absence of accidents does not mean the presence of safety

Army General Richard Cody

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