Shadowing Practice: Mathematical Statistics and the Theory of Probability in Casinos - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Thanks for watching my video.
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It looks like a lot of you guys want me to talk about math problems for some reason.
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In case any of y'all don't know already, I went to UC Berkeley for undergrad and double majored in applied math and operations research.
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I've been procrastinating making this type of video because the thing is, I know how to learn, but I don't really know how to teach.
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Anyway, since I'm going to be a PhD student in operations research very soon, I might as well start practicing teaching, you know?
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Oh, by the way, there are a lot of mathematical terms that I don't know the Chinese for, so this whole video is going to be in English.
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Sorry about that.
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I want to start with the very basics of stochastic processes, the Markov chain.
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So let's think about a process that has a value in each time period
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and build a probability model from one period to another.
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It would be easy to assume that all of those values or random variables are independent from each other,
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but most of the time that's not the case at all, and this is where the Markov chain becomes handy.
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So for a Markov chain, we say that the future depends on the past only through the present,
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aka the conditional distribution of the random variable in time period
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n plus one given all the past distributions is the same
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as the conditional distribution of time period n plus one given only period n.
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So let's have an example for understanding.
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Maybe gambling from the very popular movie recently.
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So if the guy had know more about the market chain, I don't think he would make the same stupid decisions.
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Okay, for example, say that he's playing a game
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and at each play he would win a thousand dollars or lose a thousand dollars.
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He would win a thousand dollars with the probability of p
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and lose a thousand dollars with the probability of q which equals one minus p.
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Boom!
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We have a market chain.
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Oh actually, let's also say that he would quit playing, I mean he has to quit playing when he goes completely broke,
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like zero amount of money, or if he reaches his goal and that's like a random amount of money I guess.
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And mathematically it's pretty interesting because
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because it's intuitive to ask what is the chance of our guy actually reach his goal before he goes completely broke.
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And I'm going to add as a formula here, I think, I don't think I can say it out loud.
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But as you can see, if you set the n infinitely large and your chance of winning each play is less than one half,
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then actually you're going to go broke with a probability of one, which means you're definitely going to go broke.
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So the lesson is if you gamble and can't stop, you're going to go broke one day, sometime.
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Yeah.
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And that's it for today.
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I hope it was interesting.
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I just think it's kind of ironic that there are
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so many fantastic apps on Bilibili posting pure study materials and most of the time no one watches them.
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But for me, I almost only posted chatting slash joking videos yet so many people want to hear me talk about math.
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Oh well, here you go.
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Anyway, for watching please subscribe or comment down below i'll see you next time hopefully

About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "Mathematical Statistics and the Theory of Probability in Casinos" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.