Prediction

A prediction (Latin præ-, "before," and dicere, "to say"), or forecast, is a statement about an uncertain event. It is often, but not always, based upon experience or knowledge. There is no universal agreement about the exact difference between the two terms; different authors and disciplines ascribe different connotations.

Although guaranteed accurate information about the future is in many cases impossible, prediction can be useful to assist in making plans about possible developments; Howard H. Stevenson writes that prediction in business "... is at least two things: Important and hard."

Informal prediction

Outside the rigorous context of science, the term "prediction" is often used to refer to an informed guess or opinion. A prediction of this kind might be inductively valid if the predictor is a knowledgeable person in the field and is employing sound reasoning and accurate data. Large corporations invest heavily in this kind of activity to help focus attention on possible events, risks and business opportunities, using futurists. Such work brings together all available past and current data, as a basis to develop reasonable expectations about the future.

Prediction (disambiguation)

A Prediction is a statement or claim that a particular event will occur in the future.

Prediction may also refer to:

See also

Prediction (film)

Prediction (Russian: Предсказание, translit. Predskazaniye) is a 1993 russian film directed by Eldar Ryazanov. The film is a fantastical melodrama and thriller.

Plot

Famous writer Oleg Goryunov returnes to troublous Moscow from a creative writing trip. The confrontation between president Boris Yeltsin and the Supreme Soviet is in full swing, tanks, armored personnel carriers and armed soldiers are on the streets. At the train station a gypsy woman accosted Goryunov and offers to tell his fortunes. He takes it with humor, but suddenly he hears the unexpected ... he shall have some unusual meeting, and the worst thing, in exactly 24 hours Goryunov shall die.

The writer, very embarrassed by such grim predictions, comes home and finds in his apartment ... himself, another Oleg Goryunov, only very young. Shocked, "old Goryunov" tries to find out from "young Goryunov" why they had to meet, but it still remains a mystery ...

Realizing that he has only one day to live, before his death Oleg Goryunov decides to do two most important things, the implementation of which the writer constantly postponed. Firstly, Goryunov wanted to avenge the death of his father. Many years ago, his father was killed by a staff KGB agent, some Poplavskiy, a chemist specializing in poisoning. As a fellow traveler on the train Poplavskiy would get into contact with people undesirable to Soviet regime and poisoned them, so that their deaths looked like a heart attack or a stroke. Both "Goryunovs" come to the research institute where the former executioner works, and require Poplavskiy to make a guilty plea. Trying to escape retribution for his crimes, the poisoner drinks poison himself ...