More Meaningless Detail?

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

If you enter a room with 23 people, there is a 50/50 chance that two of them will have the same birthday.

Therefore if there are more than 23 people at the bar, you can bet against anyone there that two people in the room will have the same birthday. You will win more often than not. Cheers, and enjoy your free drinks.

Frank is that supposed to be birth month? If not I think you forgot to add a number or 2 to the end of your number of people.

[mikemb]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Frank is that supposed to be birth month? If not I think you forgot to add a number or 2 to the end of your number of people.

Frank is correct. It is month and day, not year. The chance rises to 99.9% with about 70 people! I have not determined how many people have to be in a room to have a 50% chance that one of them is in HOF!

Mike

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by mikemb

Frank is correct. It is month and day, not year. The chance rises to 99.9% with about 70 people! I have not determined how many people have to be in a room to have a 50% chance that one of them is in HOF!

Mike

You'd be well advised to poll the crowd early if you want accurate responses...after 3 drinks, a lot of 'Augtumber 49th's show up.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by mikemb

Frank is correct. It is month and day, not year. The chance rises to 99.9% with about 70 people! I have not determined how many people have to be in a room to have a 50% chance that one of them is in HOF!

Mike

Mike is correct as well. If there are 70 people in the bar, you will win the bet with near certainty. This is a problem often seen in statistics and probability courses. A reference is provided below for you doubters, no matter what you are drinking.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthday_problem

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Mike is correct as well. If there are 70 people in the bar, you will win the bet with near certainty. This is a problem often seen in statistics and probability courses. A reference is provided below for you doubters, no matter what you are drinking.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthday_problem

Very cool, I was looking at it wrong. I was looking at taking one person vs the crowd instead of the crowd vs the crowd.

[steve B]

One of my really good friends has the same birthday. I met him on my first day of high school first day of school in a new town. The teacher asked us to fill out a short list of details about ourselves. I was almost late to class, and he didn't know anyone in class, so we ended up at the same workbench (Earth science, combined classroom/lab) and we had a very brief almost argument when I asked him what he thought he'd gain copying my birthday and he said he thought I was copying him. Class size was around 22-23. After the teacher asked what our problem was, we all got a brief statistics lesson.

Not unusual I guess, but I think the odds of us being at the same table as each other were a bit steeper.

Steve B