I was discussing a coincidence with a good friend of mine. Both of us happened to have been married to our first spouses on the same day of the year (different years). I did some quick math and realized there are 365 x 2 possible combinations of our two anniversary dates. Making it 133,125 to 1 that this would happen between any two people meeting at random. However, I also realize that there is a 1 in 365 chance that I would meet someone with the same anniversary as me.

 

So is this a rare thing, 133,125 to 1 or a fairly common thing 1 in 365??

I was discussing a coincidence with a good friend of mine. Both of us happened to have been married to our first spouses on the same day of the year (different years). I did some quick math and realized there are 365 x 2 possible combinations of our two anniversary dates. Making it 133,125 to 1 that this would happen between any two people meeting at random. However, I also realize that there is a 1 in 365 chance that I would meet someone with the same anniversary as me.

 

So is this a rare thing, 133,125 to 1 or a fairly common thing 1 in 365??

I was always intrigued by the birthday problem, where you would only need 23 people in a classroom to have a 50% that at least 2 of them shared a birthday, so I assume the odds of this are similar and it would be 1/365 for the 2 of you

AssHat is correct, it is the much more common 1 in 365. Just like the odds of rolling ANY two of the same numbers on a pair of dice is 1 in 6, rather than one in 36. The much bigger longshot is rolling two of a SPECIFIC, predetermined number - e.g., a 1 in (6*6) chance = 1 in 36 chance of rolling snake eyes. Similarly, the chances of you and your friend both being married on June 6th (a single specific day, not just any day) is 1 in (365•265) = 1 in 133,225.

 

Face it, Tex, aside from that spiffy short bus you used to ride to school, you ain't all that special.

 

Edited August 5, 200817 yr by FlaSoxxJim

Probability tends to contradict "common sense" odds, as in the birthday example or the famous "Let's Make a Deal" door example.

Probability tends to contradict "common sense" odds, as in the birthday example or the famous "Let's Make a Deal" door example.

 

Probability is common sense. Most people just don't have any. . .