Meaning of micromort | Babel Free

Definitions

A unit of risk equivalent to a one-in-a-million probability of death.

Examples

“This is described as 10 micromorts per operation, and we can compare⟳ this figure⟳ with other average risks, such as skydiving (also 10 micromorts), or riding a motorcycle in the UK (yoou^([sic]) have⟳ to go around 60 miles to rack up 10 micromorts). The micromort is also roughly the average acute risk⟳ we face⟳ each day simply by being alive.”

“Taking one pill from the jar amounts to being exposed to exactly one micromort. The amount you are willing to pay⟳ to avoid⟳ this risk⟳ is called your micromort value. Micromorts help⟳ us reason⟳ about decisions with small probabilities but very serious outcomes, such as deciding whether to undergo⟳ surgery that eliminates life-long pain but fails with a 1% probability, resulting in immediate death.”

CEFR level