On Friday 28 Jan 2005 3:34 am, Mark & Juanita scribbled:


Note: from (I), P(a) = 0 is a valid probability. For the examples
stated, "a bucket of water bursting into flame", or "a unit of helium
bursting into flame", or "conservation of mass in a chemical reaction
holds" the probability of these events can be stated to be zero.
Unless you are going to imply that the laws of physics and chemistry
are muteable --- if that is the case, then the whole fundamental
fabric of science and
technology is essentially destroyed. i.e., there is no, zero, zilch,
zip, nada chance that helium will burn (i.e. oxidize) in an chemical
reaction -- helium is an inert gas, it cannot combine with oxygen, it
*will not* burn.

To add to the pedantry, if the quantum effect of neutron decay happened
all at once in the bucket (a negligible but not zero probability), the
helium could be changed into deuterium and/or berillium and/or lithium
and hence burst into flames. Hence, the probability is not zero.

--
Luigi
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