The False Positive Paradox
The problem
A disease affects 1 in 100 people. A test for it has:
- 99% sensitivity — if you have the disease, it catches it 99% of the time.
- 90% specificity — if you don't have it, the test correctly says so 90% of the time (10% false positive rate).
You take the test. It comes back positive. What's the probability you actually have the disease?