When people are confused about something or want to choose between two things, many flip the coin because they believe it is a 50-50 chance. What if we tell you that is not the case, and there is no 50-50 chance of landing heads or tails? Allow us to explain. Persi Diaconis, a professor of mathematics and statistics at Standford University, debunked this myth. He and his researchers found that many games involving coins are not what you think them to be. For instance, as you may have thought, a 50-50 coin flip is not 50-50. In reality, it is 51/49 biased towards the side up when the coin is thrown in the air.
What does Physics Have To Say About This?
Persi Diaconis stated that a coin toss is not all about probability. Physics, the “tosser”, and the coin are involved when tossing a coin. In most cases, if heads are up during the coin toss, it will land heads-up. Diaconis went even further and trained himself to flip a coin and get heads 10 out of 10 times. And the odds of winning 10 coin toss consecutively are 1 in 1024, so now you know how important physics is for you.
There was another study where coins were spun to see whether that made a difference. And to our surprise, it did, especially when pennies were used. When you spin a penny, there is an 80% chance that the penny will land a tail. It’s because the heads are heavier than tails; however, this can be the other way around based on the country or coin you have.
Oh, The Irony!
When you think about it, the irony of the coin toss is that it has been used for centuries for making big decisions because it is thought to be unbiased and fair. But as we evolve and understand physics, the probability also grows significantly; we now know that the humble coin toss is also not immune to this biased world.
Embracing The Truth
Although the accurate and precise outcome of a coin toss will never be 50-50, embracing the fact that our lives are also full of uncertainties is essential. Whether it’s tossing a coin or making other decisions, the true essence lies in embracing the uncertainties of our lives. Hence, next time you want to flip a coin, fully enjoy the uncertainty it brings by knowing that something as simple as coin flips holds significant mystery.
