low_delta: (Default)
So let's say you have a group of ten people, and you want to determine the odds of two of them having the same birthday. I'm not certain, but I think it goes like this...

One person has 357 of 365 chances not to match. So that's 355/365. Each person has this chance for each of the other nine people. So anyone's odds of matching any other person are 1-(356/365)^9.

Maybe.

But I have no clue how to calculate this for three people matching.

Date: 2009-03-22 02:04 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] vwip.livejournal.com
I think the chance of there not being two people in a group of n people who share a birthday is:

365!/((365-n)!*365^n)
(*100 if you want a percentage)

For 10, this would be:
365*364*363*362*361*360*359*358*357*356 / 365*365*365*365*365*365*365*365*365*365

1 - this would give you the chance of there being at least one shared birthday

Date: 2009-03-22 03:02 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] low-delta.livejournal.com
Okay. I came up with a couple different answers. This was one of them. That's about a 12% chance.

Any idea how to attack the other problem?

Date: 2009-03-22 03:22 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] vwip.livejournal.com
The chance of any three people in a group sharing any one birthday?

Can't be sure, but I guess it'd be the chance of any one of the other 8 sharing a birthday with the two who already share a birthday, multiplied by the 12% chance of those two sharing a birthday in the first place.

Date: 2009-03-22 06:19 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] marswalker.livejournal.com

Date: 2009-03-22 02:15 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] mummm.livejournal.com
Yup... we are certainly odd... *L* (or at least I am...)

I have another friend on Facebook (a former student), a teacher friend (same AGE!), and met another of my students when we were out doing errands yesterday who also has the same birth date.

Date: 2009-03-22 03:26 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] low-delta.livejournal.com
I gotta learn me some maths.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthday_problem

Date: 2009-03-22 03:29 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] cynnerth.livejournal.com
My brain is crying.

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