Monday, March 28, 2011

False Positve?

Fire Alarm went off at around 3:30 AM. Is this a false positve? Wiki says, Type I error

Type I error, also known as an "error of the first kind", an α error, or a "false positive": the error of rejecting a null hypothesis when it is actually true. Plainly speaking, it occurs when we are observing a difference when in truth there is none, thus indicating a test of poor specificity. An example of this would be if a test shows that a woman is pregnant when in reality she is not, or telling a patient he is sick when in fact he is not. Type I error can be viewed as the error of excessive credulity[1] or even hallucination. In terms of folk tales, an investigator may be "crying wolf" (setting a false alarm) without knowing it.

In other words, a Type I error means that a positive inference is actually false.

Lots of firemen came to check it out. And an ambulance. A lot of my neighbours came down and waited for the 'all clear'. I went to the all night convenience store and bought breakfast. I talked to a night manager about his job. And I got a power bar and some hot chocolate. Buy this time it was all over and here I am. It is terrible waking up to a 'false alarm'. But I am making the best of it.

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