Persi Diaconis, a math professor at Stanford, determined that in a coin flip, the side that was originally facing up will return to that same position 51% of the time. That means that if a coin is tossed with its heads facing up, it will land the same way 51 out of 100 times.
This is because no matter how a coin is flipped, the side that started up will spend more time facing up than the other one.
But things get more exciting when we talk about a spinning penny: (the article continues after the ad)
Because the heads on a penny (the side with Abraham Lincoln) is heavier than the other side, the coin’s center of mass will lie towards the heads side. Therefore, a flipping a penny will land tails side up roughly… wait for it… 80% of the time!
So now you know.
If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: Which Is The Best Way To Shuffle A Deck Of Cards?
Photo: Nicu Buculei / Flickr
Widget not in any sidebars
