There probably would be a difference, but it may be more due to the very limited sample size of items than to the random number of items selected. A real grocery story has thousands of items, but the sample list I had only had about 60-something. To get a truly accurate test it would be necessary to load a much larger list of sample items and then loop through with a randomized list of number of items selected. But the quickie test was enough to satisfy my curiousity.
There probably would be a difference, but it may be more due to the very limited sample size of items than to the random number of items selected. A real grocery story has thousands of items, but the sample list I had only had about 60-something. To get a truly accurate test it would be necessary to load a much larger list of sample items and then loop through with a randomized list of number of items selected. But the quickie test was enough to satisfy my curiousity.
I once argued with a guy about lottery numbers. He made a comment about the stupidest person in the world picking their lotto ticket #'s as 1,2,3, 4, 5 and 6. I told him it had the same exact chance of any other 6 numbers and he said then I must be the stupidest person he was referring to.
I was making a joke, but I appreciate your kindness.
To put a concrete sentence together I would say that I would tend to believe that the idea of having a lotto ticket with 5 o 6 consecutive numbers would definitely decrease your odds of winning.
To the other point, I don't think there has ever been nor will there likely ever be a ticket with 6 consecutive winning numbers.
To put a concrete sentence together I would say that I would tend to believe that the idea of having a lotto ticket with 5 o 6 consecutive numbers would definitely decrease your odds of winning.
To the other point, I don't think there has ever been nor will there likely ever be a ticket with 6 consecutive winning numbers.
Wrong....your expected value actually increases....why is that you must be thinking?
1. The machine that draws the balls does not know what number it is picking. Chance of selecting each combination of six numbers is exactly the same. The machine doesn’t somehow reject numbers that are close to the last number it picked...
2. Enough people don’t fully understand statitistics and probabilities such that you would be less likely to share a jackpot if you selected consecutive (or just generally less popular) numbers and actually won (and you’d have the same odds of having the right numbers as anyone else)....
that's a different animal. it is stupid to play 1-6 only because too many people do it. the odds on it coming up are the same but that and also 2,4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 and also 1,3,5,7,9,11 or 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. many, many people do this and also birthdates under 31 is foolish although that not so much.
