Scientists Have Applied an Old Theory to Prove That There Is No Absolute 50/50 Ratio When Tossing a Coin.
In sports, coin tossing is often used to decide who (or which team) will start first or gain some desired advantage.
Theoretically, relying on the two symmetrical sides of a coin seems fair, leading to a random outcome with a 50% chance for each choice.
Scientists tossed a coin 350,757 times to find a convincing number. (Photo: Getty).
However, researchers point out the opposite, arguing that the probability when tossing a coin is ultimately not 50/50. The reason behind this is that when tossing a coin from our hand, we create a slight wobble, which affects the outcome.
According to Persi Diaconis, an American mathematician and the lead researcher, the way a coin is tossed causes it to spend more time in the air with the initial face facing upwards, referred to as side A.
This is surprising because it ultimately results in side A showing up more frequently than side B (the side facing down).
From experiments based on 350,757 coin tosses, Diaconis concludes that there is a 50.8% chance that the coin will land on the same side as the side facing up when it was tossed. Although this percentage may seem small, over time it can lead to a slight advantage for the tosser.
In a discussion presented by the research team, they simulated a betting scenario where a player bets $1 on the outcome of a coin toss and then performs the toss 1,000 times.
The result is that if the tosser knows which side is facing up and chooses based on this, they could win an average of $19.
Relying on seemingly small probabilities is also a method that casinos use to generate profits. For example, in blackjack, the arrangement of cards can help the casino earn an average of $5 for each bet placed, according to a study by Diaconis.
