Tom Ritchford
Sep 3, 2018 · 1 min read

This is not just wrong, it’s completely wrong in two different ways.

First, the Uncertainty Principle means that there is a hard limit to how precisely we can measure any physical value. It isn’t just that our instruments are imperfect — it’s that the values themselves physically have an inherent uncertainty.

But even if we could break the laws of physics and measure the properties of the rolling die to any arbitrary precision, we still could not predict the final results because tumbling dice are a chaotic system, which means they are pathologically sensitive to the initial conditions. What that means is that even infinitesimal changes in the initial setup quickly result in massive differences in the outcome, the so-called Butterfly Effect.

We’ve know about the Butterfly Effect since the 1970s. We’ve know about the Uncertainty Principle for over 90 years. If you don’t understand these concepts, both of which would be taught in any undergraduate science program, you really shouldn’t be pontificating about randomness.

    Tom Ritchford

    Written by

    uk->at->ca->us->nl

    Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
    Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
    Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade