theBarneyBus
theBarneyBus t1_je1unvu wrote
Reply to ELI5: If digital data is stored in 0s & 1s, how does the reader know how many of the digits to take into consideration? by distinct_oversight
You’re completely correct that it could either be 9 or a 2 then a 1. The issue is that you’re assuming that the is no context.
In storage, there are conventions (e.g. ASCII) that say that basic text is 8 bits per letter. Similarly, other data is stored in fixed-length intervals.
In RAM, whoever is writing to it determines how it is used. It could be any length. The program (and programmer) using it needs to make sure they’re using it correctly.
There are also ways to compress things like text, where bit length is dynamic. But that’s a bit complex, so let me know if you want that explanation as well.
theBarneyBus t1_j26zwsv wrote
Reply to comment by dont-YOLO-ragequit in Eli5 - probability by Ok_Elk_4333
I don’t think I’m quite understanding.
The issue is thinking that one shuffle from an ordered deck is “as random” as one that has been shuffled 1000 times. They’re not. The first one is MUCH more likely to happen than the other (and thus is not truly random)
theBarneyBus t1_j26syd6 wrote
Reply to comment by Ok_Elk_4333 in Eli5 - probability by Ok_Elk_4333
I wouldn’t say BS. Just maybe a little misleading.
- This one specifies “randomly”
- This one says “completely at random”
- This specific the shuffles as “random”
- And this one is really clear, saying that “Card games tend to order decks in common ways, so you need to shuffle really well (about seven times using the "riffle" method) before you’re holding any deck which is truly one-of-a-kind. ”
theBarneyBus t1_j26r1g9 wrote
Reply to Eli5 - probability by Ok_Elk_4333
The idea you’re talking about is true and accurate, for a fully randomly shuffled deck of cards.
A newly opened (and therefore ordered) deck that has only been riffled a few times is not fully random.
theBarneyBus t1_j1j0r2p wrote
Reply to ELI5 What is the underlying principle that lets the creators of ChatGPT (for example) feel confident that it will accurately provide answers to questions they themselves haven’t pondered? by onlyouwillgethis
The programmers don’t program question-answer pairs. Rather, they program a tool that “reads” millions of online articles, then tries to replicate responses that sound how the tool thinks an response about X would sound.
This often means that it gets things (surprisingly) correct, but can also lead to it sounding extremely confident, while having funky and/or misleading information.
theBarneyBus t1_jef4eqk wrote
Reply to ELI5:Why do we exclude the price of things like Food, Housing and Energy costs when looking at the total number for inflation? by DeludedRaven
Who says we do?
Often it’s measured with CPI, which measures the price of a pre-set collection of goods and services, representing what an average individual may spend on.