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Orrex

(67,020 posts)
Wed May 4, 2016, 07:52 AM May 2016

Statistics question: how best to phrase this? [View all]

20 tickets were sold for a raffle, and each ticket has an equal chance of being drawn. Sally buys 8, Fred buys 8, and Terry buys 4.

Would it be correct to say "It's 4 times more likely that Sally or Fred will win than Terry" in that formulation? Granted, each of them is only 2x more likely (8 tickets vs 4), but is it incorrect to describe their combined likelihood (16 tickets vs 4)?

Or would it be better (i.e., less confusing) to say "Either Sally or Fred is twice as likely to win as Terry" instead?

Is either of these formulations objectively better, in terms of accuracy? Is either better in terms of straightforward clarity?

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