The Birthday Paradox
So I am sitting in my class for computer networks today listening to a guest speaker talk about security. I won't bore you with all the encryption stuff, but there was one mind-boggling fact she brought up. If you have 23 or more people in a room, chances are two have the same birthday.
I thought, there's no way. But we had 25 people in our lecture so we decided to have a little experiment. She had everyone born in January list off their birthdays -- no matches. Then she had everyone born in February list off their birthdays and two were born on the 13th. It worked.
Coincidence? I actually did the statistical probability of this (being a nerd and all) and found it was correct. When you have 23 people in a room, 50% of the time there will be a birthday match.
Don't believe me? Take a look at the article in HowStuffWorks.com. And for those of you with some math capabilities here's the actual proof.
The next time you are in a room with more than 23 people, try it out.
I thought, there's no way. But we had 25 people in our lecture so we decided to have a little experiment. She had everyone born in January list off their birthdays -- no matches. Then she had everyone born in February list off their birthdays and two were born on the 13th. It worked.
Coincidence? I actually did the statistical probability of this (being a nerd and all) and found it was correct. When you have 23 people in a room, 50% of the time there will be a birthday match.
Don't believe me? Take a look at the article in HowStuffWorks.com. And for those of you with some math capabilities here's the actual proof.
The next time you are in a room with more than 23 people, try it out.
Comments
Did I mention that you never cease to amaze me?
Nerdiest Post Ever.
Keep up the good work.
Hmmm...I'll have to think on that.
It's good to know my place, I suppose.
MST: Hope your socks are feeling satisfied.
Ollie: I don't see why it wouldn't work. If you can get 23 people to participate online -- go for it. Tell me how it goes afterward.