Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cromwell's rule

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.10 in modern English

Syllables
cromwell's rule
IPA
20
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
1
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A rule stating that the use of prior probabilities of 0 or 1 should be avoided, except when applied to statements that are logically true or false, so as to leave room for the possibility that something very unlikely is in fact the case.

Etymology

Named by statistician Dennis Lindley, in reference to Oliver Cromwell, who wrote in 1650: "I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible that you may be mistaken."

Questions

What does cromwell's rule mean?
A rule stating that the use of prior probabilities of 0 or 1 should be avoided, except when applied to statements that are logically true or false, so as to leave room for the possibility that something very unlikely is in fact the case.
Where does cromwell's rule come from?
Named by statistician Dennis Lindley, in reference to Oliver Cromwell, who wrote in 1650: "I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible that you may be mistaken."

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