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To: bvw
Effectively, pratically impossible. 2**50 is a very very very very large number.

Yes, but "effectively, pratically impossible" not impossible. Every time you flip a coin 50 times, the odds of the particular resulting sequence resulting is the same as any other; one chance in 2**50, regardless of what that sequence is. So, you "beat the odds" so to speak, every time you do it.

1,733 posted on 02/04/2005 8:32:50 AM PST by WildHorseCrash
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To: WildHorseCrash

Any sequence of 50 coins is more likely to occur than any contract bridge deal. Actually more than ten quadrillion times as likely. That doesn't make bridge impossible to play though.


1,768 posted on 02/04/2005 8:47:20 PM PST by Doctor Stochastic (Vegetabilisch = chaotisch is der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)
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