Stuff You Should Know Short Stuff: Birthday Paradox
Dec 7, 2022
Discover the mind-bending Birthday Paradox, which reveals how just 23 people in a room can create a 50% chance of shared birthdays. The hosts use humor and relatable stories to make complex math approachable. Misconceptions about probability are addressed, demonstrating how our instincts about chance can often be misleading. The discussion even touches on intriguing applications in cryptography and genetics. Prepare to have your perception of birthdays—and statistics—turned upside down!
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Shared Birthday
- Chuck and Josh discovered they share a birthday.
- This led to a discussion about the birthday paradox.
Birthday Paradox
- The probability of two people sharing a birthday isn't linear.
- It increases exponentially with more people.
23 People
- With 23 people, there's a 50% chance of a shared birthday.
- This is due to the exponential increase in comparisons, not linear.