Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

st. petersburg paradox

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.36 in modern English

Syllables
st. peters-burg -para-dox
IPA
34
Scrabble Score
19
Letters
4
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The paradox raised by a particular (theoretical) lottery game that leads to a random variable with infinite expected value (i.e. infinite expected payoff) but nevertheless seems to be worth only a very small amount to the participants.

Etymology

Named from its resolution by Daniel Bernoulli, one-time resident of the eponymous Russian city, who published his arguments in the Commentaries of the Imperial Academy of Science of Saint Petersburg (Bernoulli 1738). However, the problem was invented by Daniel's cousin, Nicolas Bernoulli.

Inflected Forms

St. Petersburg paradoxes (plural) Petersburg paradox (alternative) Saint Petersburg paradox (alternative)

Phrases

St. Petersburg lottery

Frequently Paired Words

St. Petersburg lottery

Questions

What does st. petersburg paradox mean?
The paradox raised by a particular (theoretical) lottery game that leads to a random variable with infinite expected value (i.e. infinite expected payoff) but nevertheless seems to be worth only a very small amount to the participants.
Where does st. petersburg paradox come from?
Named from its resolution by Daniel Bernoulli, one-time resident of the eponymous Russian city, who published his arguments in the Commentaries of the Imperial Academy of Science of Saint Petersburg (Bernoulli 1738). However, the problem was invented by Daniel's cousin, Nicolas Bernoulli.

How to pronounce st. petersburg paradox

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