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Forum URL: http://www.cut-the-knot.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/forumctk.cgi
Forum Name: This and that
Topic ID: 746
Message ID: 0
#0, Bertrand's Paradox and Information theory
Posted by herb on Jan-13-07 at 05:14 PM

Does Information Theory shed any light on Bertrand's Paradox?

Whether a "random cord" is less or more than the inscribed equilateral triangle is a binary attribute. Information theory asserts that a binary choice has the least infomation (thus is the most random) when the binary choices are 50% each. For example the result of a coin flip contains less infomation then whether or not a 6 was rolled with a die.

Thus it would seem to be that the solution where the midpoints are distributed uniformly over the radius and the probability becomes 1/2 is the solution with the "most random" choice for the cord.