What to Expect When You’re Expecting to Win the Lottery

Guest presenter, Probability 1 Minute

I can’t think of a better way to tease this video than its YouTube description:

Recounting one of the stories included in his book How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking, Jordan Ellenberg (University of Wisconsin-Madison) tells how a group of MIT students exploited a loophole in the Massachusetts State Lottery to win game after game, eventually pocketing more than $3 million.

A personal note: though I haven’t talked with him in years, Dr. Ellenberg and I were actually in the same calculus class about 30 years ago.

Unknown's avatar

Published by John Quintanilla

I'm a Professor of Mathematics and a University Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of North Texas. For eight years, I was co-director of Teach North Texas, UNT's program for preparing secondary teachers of mathematics and science.

Published

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.