Ineffable Wingbolt Erebus the Black Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 Apparently when tossing a coin it has a 51% chance to land as it has started. Here's a link: http://www-stat.stanford.edu/%7Ecgates/PERSI/papers/headswithJ.pdf I found this out by watching Q.I. how odd... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Lilith Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 if you want to cheat on purpose, it's not too hard to learn how to flip a coin so that it'll probably land the way you want it to edit: oh hey the article even mentions that. yeah, none of this is really too surprising in principle, although the rigorous physical treatment of it is kind of impressive i guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk nikki. Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 Originally Posted By: Ham is also A Piece of Pork I found this out by watching Q.I. how odd... Q.I. is the place I find most of my useless information these days. Also, Stephen Fry. <3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast keira Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 Quarters are statistically more likely to land on tails because the heads side is slightly heavier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast Dintiradan Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 Originally Posted By: Nikki. Originally Posted By: Ham is also A Piece of Pork I found this out by watching Q.I. how odd... Q.I. is the place I find most of my useless information these days. Also, Stephen Fry. <3 You both suck. I just wasted an hour watching Q.I. clips. Bloody show's worse than TV Tropes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast Triumph Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 Why do you want to dent statistics? What did they ever do to you? And do you have insurance to cover their repairs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast VCH Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 Canadian or American Quarter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk Student of Trinity Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 Even if the average over many people is 51%, I expect individual coin-flipping style is a factor. So your personal odds might even be a bit the other way. I'd do a long series of your own trials first, before you try to win some kind of bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyshakk Koan Mistb0rn Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 Originally Posted By: Student of Trinity Even if the average over many people is 51%, I expect individual coin-flipping style is a factor. I was once able to learn someone's style of flipping and guess it right at least 8/10 times. Coin flipping is, in my opinion, one of the least random ways of making a decision, only barely better than 'eeny meeny miny mo'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk Student of Trinity Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 A friend of mine used to use it routinely for making minor difficult decisions. He found that if he told himself the coin would decide the issue, then as soon as the coin was in the air, he would realize which way he really wanted it to land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyshakk Koan Mistb0rn Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 That works, though it isn't random; as more of a prod to making a decision than a decision in itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Rowen Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Khoth Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 If you're really worried about that 51%, then when you see the result, toss the coin again. If it comes up different, then use the result of the original toss. If it comes up the same, start again from the beginning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Originally Posted By: Rowen Of course it's going to come up heads, it's a two-headed coin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Alorael at Large Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 I flip coins to make decisions. I trust my subconscious to influence the toss so that I get the result I really want anyway. —Alorael, who apparently has a lot of indecision and is prone to sudden spontaneity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk Kelandon Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 I knew some people who weren't satisfied with the randomness of coins for minor decision-making in life and used a d20 (with predefined ranges) instead. It was something of a spectacle, because when they couldn't decide on something, they'd pull out a very alchemical-looking bag, draw out a bright purple die, and roll it intently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk Ephesos Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 In one of the tabletop groups I tend to play in, we have a rogue who is Chaotic Neutral on the alignment scale. Any time he's faced with a moral quandary, he usually rolls a d20 to see if he does the "right" thing or does the selfish thing. Pretty entertaining, but I couldn't see that turning out well in real life for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk Student of Trinity Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 I'm still haunted (okay, very mildly haunted) by the time I was running a D&D game, and a player who had spaced out during an important description deliberately had their character jump off a ridiculously high ledge. I let them have a saving throw to survive in some critical state, since this was a fantasy game, but ruled that they needed a 20. The player asked me if they could survive by rolling exactly 17 instead, since 17 was their lucky number. I said okay. They rolled 17. I snatched that die fast, and rolled it myself several times. No 17s for me. Still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 It is possible to throw dice so they give you whatever number you want. Then again, it also could've been sheer dumb luck. Originally Posted By: Have at Three! —Alorael, who apparently has a lot of indecision and is prone to sudden spontaneity. Indecision is okay, but in order to be spontaneous, you need to fill out a request form in triplicate two months in advance. According to our records, you haven't filled out such a from since 1987. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast Dintiradan Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Originally Posted By: Ephesos In one of the tabletop groups I tend to play in, we have a rogue who is Chaotic Neutral on the alignment scale. Any time he's faced with a moral quandary, he usually rolls a d20 to see if he does the "right" thing or does the selfish thing. Pretty entertaining, but I couldn't see that turning out well in real life for some reason. Imagine Harvey Dent as a gamer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast VCH Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Seriously, you guys know people that use coins to make decisions, OMG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk Student of Trinity Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Sh'dup. Just — sh'dup! [Came up heads.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Randomizer Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Originally Posted By: VCH Seriously, you guys know people that use coins to make decisions, OMG Well I would flip a credit card but I don't want it to wear out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk nikki. Posted November 16, 2010 Share Posted November 16, 2010 Originally Posted By: Dintiradan Originally Posted By: Ephesos In one of the tabletop groups I tend to play in, we have a rogue who is Chaotic Neutral on the alignment scale. Any time he's faced with a moral quandary, he usually rolls a d20 to see if he does the "right" thing or does the selfish thing. Pretty entertaining, but I couldn't see that turning out well in real life for some reason. Imagine Harvey Dent as a gamer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dice_Man I just finished re-reading this. For those too lazy to click the link, "The Dice Man is a novel published in 1971 by George Cockcroft under the pen name Luke Rhinehart and tells the story of a psychiatrist who begins making life decisions based on the casting of dice." It's actually a really good book too, if anybody was at a loss for some mid-November reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easygoing Eyebeast The Mystic Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 Originally Posted By: Randomizer Originally Posted By: VCH Seriously, you guys know people that use coins to make decisions, OMG Well I would flip a credit card but I don't want it to wear out. And I once tried to flip a house. Trust me, flipping coins is a lot easier, with the added benefit of not having to worry about flying bricks as the house spins in midair when you flip it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Drew Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 True chaotic neutrals wouldn't last long enough to make it to a career of adventuring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchling Cockatrice Lilith Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 whoa hey look who's posting again how's being a lawyer working out for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnificent Ornk Student of Trinity Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 Well, if he's that down on chaos as an effective strategy, he's probably doing all right with law. Welcome back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Well-Actually War Trall Drew Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 Lawyering is okay. I think I would prefer being a plumber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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