Heads or Tails? Flip a Coin and This Side Will Have More Chances To Win, Study Finds

In all these years, we have always believed that coin flipping is a fair and accurate method to decide, but there is a contradictory research finding on the other side of the coin. Yes, coin flipping may not be as accurate as you trust. Read on.

Oct 16, 2023, 11:14 IST
Heads or Tails? Flip a Coin and This Side Will Have More Chances To Win, Study Finds
Heads or Tails? Flip a Coin and This Side Will Have More Chances To Win, Study Finds

A groundbreaking study says that while you may be obsessed with using a coin toss to decide upon almost all situations of your life, the results may be biased. A group of 48 researchers in Europe conducted a groundbreaking experiment that tested the accuracy of a coin flip. They intended to study the likelihood of the coin being flipped to land with the same side facing up as before the flip. The results of the findings suggest there is a 50.8 percent chance of an incidence.

Shocked? Well, the results of the study are shocking, as coin tossing has always been a widely accepted procedure of deciding upon certain decisions in a fair manner and in just a minute. 

It was in Rome, as per the records, that this method of deciding with the flip of a coin was used for the very first time. In Rome, the practice was known as navia aut caput. The term meant "ship or head". For ages, the practice has been used to get a fair outcome, as apparently, it seems that the likelihood of getting heads or tails as the outcomes hold a 50:50 chance.

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Interestingly, all these years of trust in the process have been shattered by the research in Europe that presents compelling evidence upholding the results of an American mathematician, Persi Diaconis. In the year 2007, the mathematician suggested that flipped coins were actually more likely to land on the side they began, as compared to the other side.

For eons, there has been a strong hypothesis stating that there is an equal chance of either of the two outcomes. There have been several experiments that tested the randomness of the tossed sides of the coin, and almost all aligned with the hypothesis.

According to Diaconis, mathematicians could not succeed in accounting for the possibility of a right and fair coun landing with the very same side facing up as it was when the flip began.

Astha Pasricha
Astha Pasricha

Content Writer

    Astha Pasricha is a content writing professional with experience in writing rich and engaging content for websites, blogs, and chatbots. She is a graduate of Journalism and Mass Communication and English Honors. She has previously worked with organizations like Groomefy, Shiksha.com, Upside Me, EGlobal Soft Solutions and Codeflies Technologies Pvt. Ltd. At Jagran Josh, she writes content for the General Knowledge section. You can reach her at astha.pasricha@jagrannewmedia.com.
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