Heathansson--victim of statistics

[Vic Wertz]

Heathansson wrote:

(true story)

This dude in my highschool graduating class won $1 million in the lottery.
Now, I'll never win, because what are the odds that two people in a graduating class of 90 will win a motherf%##ing million dollar lottery? Pretty f%##ing slim, G.

I say the odds are 50%: either you'll win, or you won't.

Spoiler:

I mean... NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS!

[Heathansson]

That'll work.

[TigerDave]

Set wrote:

Hey... Nobody in my graduating class has been hit by a meteor! Does that drastically increase *my* chances of being hit by a meteor?

In fact, following this logic, I need to go out and murder my entire graduating class, to decrease the statistical chances that I will die in any of those methods!

Note to self; Research the things most likely to kill me, and make sure that everyone I know dies of them first...

Isn't this an Ashton Kutcher movie?

[Azzy]

Heathansson wrote:

I hope Putnam County NY isn't as f~%@ed up as Putnam County Florida was.

Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!

I'm not sure if anything is *that* f~%@ed up.

[Tensor]

Heathansson wrote:

(true story)

This dude in my highschool graduating class won $1 million in the lottery. Now, I'll never win, because what are the odds that two people in a graduating class of 90 will win a motherf!~!ing million dollar lottery? Pretty f!~!ing slim, G.

I think there are two ways of calculating your odds of winning now Heathy:

You now have a better chance of winning. History has shown people in your class are lucky, and so your odds of winning are better than the rest of us. (It must be something in the drinking fountain water.)

You have the same chance of winning as you ever did. Like playing roulette, whatever the wheel did last spin has nothing to do with what it will do on the next spin.

I'll let you figure out which one is better.

--

Incidentally, lets say you really were playing roulette (in a real casino) and only betting on red or black. You walk up to a new table and just watch at first, then you notice red has come up ten times in a row! You decide to bet, what color would you bet on next (red or black) and why?

--

Oh, about the million dollar lottery, some may think you have less of a chance of winning now, because it is unlikely two of you from the same school can win. However, this is absolutely wrong because it implies you guys both have a chance of winning the "same lottery at the same time" which is impossible simply by the rules of the game.

[Heathansson]

Actually the luck thing is genetic. I read about it in RingWorld.
That's why I'm f%$$'d.

[Tensor]

ooh, watch out for the luck vampires, they suck the luck out of you.

[Heathansson]

My face is the holy symbol that drives them away, it might even make them splode.