Friday, January 8, 2021

Tails or Heads?

I reported yesterday about asking a group sixth graders if they would choose heads or tails in a coin toss. The results from my first set of classes were 55% heads to 45% tails, which I found surprising because I expected closer to a 50-50 break, like the odds of a coin flip. What I also found interesting, if unexplainable, was the break down by gender: 75% of the boys chose heads and 67% of the girls chose tails.

Well, the results are in from my second group of kids. Today 57% of the students chose tails, leaving heads in the dust with just 43%. But the amazing statistic is that when both sets of data were added together? It ended up being the very 50-50 split I predicted! 

Today, only 39% of the boys chose heads, and the girls were split 50-50 heads and tails. BUT... the overall data showed that 61% of the boys chose heads and 61% of the girls chose tails! The symmetry of the numbers is a little astonishing, still mystifying, but also wonderful in its perfect balance.

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