Expanded Fermi Solution to Retrodict the Initial from the Final Number in a Stochastic Process
Expanded Fermi Solution to Retrodict the Initial from the Final Number in a Stochastic Process
This Demonstration employs the "expanded Fermi solution" to estimate the most probable initial number of ingested microorganisms, pathogens, or probiotics that will result in a given number of survivors in the gut. The method is based on entering the ranges of the probabilities that they will survive the different stages in the digestive tract. The method can be extended to include washing, cooking, cooling, or freezing prior to ingestion. It can also be used to estimate the most probable number of dissatisfied customers given the number of received complaints, the number of defective units, and so on.