Comments on: Sequential Madness http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812 Addled thoughts of a quality assurance dope Fri, 18 May 2012 09:32:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5 by: Peter http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6978 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:51:46 -0500 http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6978 Trying to explain basic probabilty and statistics to the typical lottery customer would as successful as teaching ballroom dancing to a goldfish. Trying to explain basic probabilty and statistics to the typical lottery customer would as successful as teaching ballroom dancing to a goldfish.

]]> by: Linus http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6979 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:34:28 -0500 http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6979 Agreed! (to both the post AND Peter's comment) Agreed! (to both the post AND Peter’s comment)

]]> by: rob http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6982 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:07:00 -0500 http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6982 Actually, she was doubly wrong. All sequences are equally (un)likely, but lottery players do not pick their numbers randomly. So if the rarely chosen combo you picked won, there is much lower chance of splitting the winnings. I'm pretty sure the opposite happened after a plane crash in NY. The plane's flight number, or the date or some such, won some lottery. Like 1000 people split the pot. Actually, she was doubly wrong. All sequences are equally (un)likely, but lottery players do not pick their numbers randomly. So if the rarely chosen combo you picked won, there is much lower chance of splitting the winnings.

I’m pretty sure the opposite happened after a plane crash in NY. The plane’s flight number, or the date or some such, won some lottery. Like 1000 people split the pot.

]]> by: trumwill http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6985 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:33:48 -0500 http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6985 That thought had occurred to me, Rob. It's one of the reasons to hover in numbers that don't fall on birthdays (ie 32 and up) so that if you win you get it all to yourself. I thought about mentioning it in the post, but I'm not ironclad sure that sequential numbers might not actually be submitted more commonly than randomly generated ones. It's sort of an obvious way not to be obvious so maybe there are more people doing it than we realize. That thought had occurred to me, Rob. It’s one of the reasons to hover in numbers that don’t fall on birthdays (ie 32 and up) so that if you win you get it all to yourself. I thought about mentioning it in the post, but I’m not ironclad sure that sequential numbers might not actually be submitted more commonly than randomly generated ones. It’s sort of an obvious way not to be obvious so maybe there are more people doing it than we realize.

]]> by: Peter http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6986 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:58:06 -0500 http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6986 Connecticut has (or used to have) a Daily Numbers mini-lottery in which four numbers 0-9 were selected every day. About 25 years ago, there was quite a controversy when for something like 20 days in a row the numbers included at least one zero, including a 0000. Many people thought that the lottery authorities were fixing the drawing for some reason. For their part, the authorities tried to explain that each day's drawing was independent of all others and the profusion of 0's was just happenstance. It wasn't an easy point to get across. Connecticut has (or used to have) a Daily Numbers mini-lottery in which four numbers 0-9 were selected every day. About 25 years ago, there was quite a controversy when for something like 20 days in a row the numbers included at least one zero, including a 0000. Many people thought that the lottery authorities were fixing the drawing for some reason. For their part, the authorities tried to explain that each day’s drawing was independent of all others and the profusion of 0’s was just happenstance. It wasn’t an easy point to get across.

]]> by: rob http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6996 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:52:41 -0500 http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6996 I haven't really thought much about it, because trying to beat a lottery is a fool's errand. Counting sequences probably are more common if people buy blocks of tickets. To counteract birthdays, one should avoid 0(?)1-12 as the first digit(s) 0(?)1-30 as the the third digits, and then 19(50 or so-99) and 20(01-9) after that. But really, don't don't try to beat the lottery. Not only is my pedantry boring, it's also trivial. I haven’t really thought much about it, because trying to beat a lottery is a fool’s errand. Counting sequences probably are more common if people buy blocks of tickets.

To counteract birthdays, one should avoid 0(?)1-12 as the first digit(s) 0(?)1-30 as the the third digits, and then 19(50 or so-99) and 20(01-9) after that. But really, don’t don’t try to beat the lottery.

Not only is my pedantry boring, it’s also trivial.

]]> by: trumwill http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6999 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:44:41 -0500 http://hitcoffee.net/index.php/file/1812#comment-6999 I'm sure that there are people that have written their thesis on the subject! I’m sure that there are people that have written their thesis on the subject!

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