Djokovic vs Federer vs Rob Minto

Via twitter : Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic often seem to face each other in the semifinals. Too often. This article by Rob Minto tries to explain that the chance of them meeting in any one competition should be 50/50. However, they’ve met 16 times out of 21 instead. Rob asks : is this too many?

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Dice and Polynomials – Part 1

Can polynomials help calculate probabilities?
Can polynomials help calculate probabilities?

Imagine you have two coins. One side is blank, and one has a single dot. You flip the coins. How many ways can you get 0 dots? How many ways can you get 1 dot? How many ways can you get 2 dots?

If you got answers like “1 way / 2 ways / 1 way” you got it right.

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The Math of Conspiracies and Doomsdays

Yesterday was my grandfather’s 105th birthday party. He actually turns 105 tomorrow, on the 23rd of May. Yesterday was also supposed to be the end of the world, according to a very small splinter group of Christians. Clearly, the guy who made that prediction was thoroughly convinced, and thoroughly wrong.

Why do people make predictions like that? Let’s see what the math says! But first, more about my grandfather’s birthday party…

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Dinosaur Dodger Tips and Strategy

I recently uploaded a game I call “Dinosaur Dodger“. It’s based on an interesting paradox I read about on this blog, by an economist who has authored a number of good books. The paradox is called the “Paradox of the Absent Minded Driver”. It goes like this : imagine a driver, driving home along a highway. They need to take the second exit to get off, but for some reason they can’t recall which exit they are at when they get to an exit.

The Absent Minded Driver paradox, and Dinosaur Didger, involve finding the best strategy to get home on this track
The Absent Minded Driver paradox, and Dinosaur Didger, involve finding the best strategy to get home on this track

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