Einstein was probably troubled by what he would be the most surprised by, like probable things that didn't happen, or things that didn't happen that were probable. Either way determining a Probable Impossibility takes some serious thought.
Improbable just means it hardly ever happens, but that doesn't mean it never will. Probable means more then likely it will happen. Possibility means it could very happen and Impossibility means it more then likely will not happen or won't. Now a probable impossibility could go either way as shown below.
Probable impossibility - It could happen, but probably won't. - "A hurricane hitting Chicago would be an example."
Improbable possibility - Is highly unlikely, but could very well happen. - "Again, a hurricane hitting Chicago."
The simplest example for either is the lottery. These often have incredible odds that seem impossible to beat, but indeed someone (almost) always wins.
Improbable and things considered to be an impossibility happen all the time, because "improbability" is an illusion based on our preconceptions. Often it has nothing to do with statistical truth. Given an infinite universe, every event with non-zero probability - however small - will eventually occur. Or put another way: given enough chances, even the most unlikely event is certain to happen.
When talking about the improbable, it's easy to ignore the cases where the event does not happen. People are naturally self-centered and think about their own experience first: from any one individual's point of view, the odds of winning the lottery are minuscule and the odds of finding someone with the same birthday are exactly as you'd expect.
We tend to pay attention to the improbable things that do happen - and never to the improbable things that don't happen and don't defy the odds.
In short, one-in-a-million events happen all the time, these are Probable Impossibilities that become historical facts.
Probable impossibility - It could happen, but probably won't. - "A hurricane hitting Chicago would be an example."
Improbable possibility - Is highly unlikely, but could very well happen. - "Again, a hurricane hitting Chicago."
The simplest example for either is the lottery. These often have incredible odds that seem impossible to beat, but indeed someone (almost) always wins.
Improbable and things considered to be an impossibility happen all the time, because "improbability" is an illusion based on our preconceptions. Often it has nothing to do with statistical truth. Given an infinite universe, every event with non-zero probability - however small - will eventually occur. Or put another way: given enough chances, even the most unlikely event is certain to happen.
When talking about the improbable, it's easy to ignore the cases where the event does not happen. People are naturally self-centered and think about their own experience first: from any one individual's point of view, the odds of winning the lottery are minuscule and the odds of finding someone with the same birthday are exactly as you'd expect.
We tend to pay attention to the improbable things that do happen - and never to the improbable things that don't happen and don't defy the odds.
In short, one-in-a-million events happen all the time, these are Probable Impossibilities that become historical facts.