7、Markov Chains: A Double-Edged Sword in the Google Era

Markov Chains: A Double-Edged Sword in the Google Era

1. The Origins and Basics of Markov Chains

The Markov chain, introduced by Russian mathematician Andrey Markov in 1913, is one of the most influential ideas of the twentieth century. It serves as a set of statistical tools for predicting the future based on the present. Markov chains address the temporal dependencies between events, tracing the probabilistic transitions from one state to another over time.

Before Markov, probability theory, like physics theory, mostly avoided temporal considerations. Markov followed in the footsteps of nineteenth - century intellectual giants James Clerk Maxwell and Ludwig Boltzmann, who pioneered statistical thinking in physics to describe hidden physical phenomena