Check my math, please?? :)

Reply #7

Ammothief41 — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:51:06 GMT

Ok. That is exactly what I was trying to figure out, trying to get a basic grasp of probability. Thanks.

Reply #6

KY Floyd — Wed, 26 May 2010 07:49:33 GMT

So 1 in 11.2 chances of 1 particular number being chosen,

That's fine for whether or not a particular number will be selected in any given drawing, but you're looking for the chances that any of the 5 numbers from a drawing will repeat in the next drawing. Here's how that works.

5 of the 56 numbers were in the last drawing and 51 of 56 were not. When the first number is selected there's a 51/56 chance it will not be any of the 5. If that happens there will be 55 numbers remaining, of whic... [ More ]

Reply #5

Ammothief41 — Wed, 26 May 2010 04:17:55 GMT

Thank you for the chart. I'm not shocked by the odds being slim. I was surprised that my awful math came out with the right numbers. Not expecting to flip a light bulb and be able to pick JP combos, but any little extra couldn't hurt.

Reply #4

RJOh — Wed, 26 May 2010 00:51:14 GMT

MATCH ODDS WINNING COMBOS

5/5 1 : 3819816 1

4/5 1 : 14980 255

3/5 1 : 300 12750

2/5 1 : 18 208250

1/5 1 : 3 1249500

________________________________________________

overall odds are 1 : 2.5

Why do you think matching 2/5 and 1/5 pay nothing? It happens too often because the odds are it will.

Reply #3

Ammothief41 — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:24:45 GMT

Excellent, thank you. That was just what I was wondering. The great advice of some lottery websites are a little misleading. Anyway, I looked at the history of drawing results for that particular lottery and found something mildly cool. Of the last hundred drawings, a number from the previous drawing showed up in the new drawing 35% of the time instead of the expected 44%. I did the math and that should put the odds well over QP's by picking a number from the previous results, but it also lowers... [ More ]

Reply #2

joker17 — Tue, 25 May 2010 03:31:08 GMT

I should also add that If you had a 44% edge over the total 56 numbers in the matirix, then you'd be justified in your confusion. That's nearly 1 in 2 of hitting the JP. But that's not the case here. I think that's where the confusion comes in.

Reply #1

joker17 — Tue, 25 May 2010 03:18:08 GMT

Here's where you are confused. You're confusing yourself with your own words....lol

First you say there is a 44% chance of getting a repeat number, and you prove it. But you run into trouble when you equate the 44% chance with the odds of hitting the JP. I'll show you...The following is your quote:

So 1 in 11.2 chances of 1 particular number being chosen, and if there are 5 numbers drawn each drawing 11.2/5 = 1 in 2.24 or 44%.

You proved that it is 44%. Then at the end you're puzzled... [ More ]

Check my math, please?? :)

Ammothief41 — Mon, 24 May 2010 20:06:43 GMT

I am new to the lottery math. On a website I was reading it stated that there was a benefit to winning a prize by playing a number from the previous numbers, or avoiding previous winning numbers. I computed the odds and became puzzled because it didn't look like that would help at all and was wondering if someone could check the math to make sure it's correct.

It was for a particular lotto game, 5/56, and the site stated that there was a 44% chance of a number from the previous winning s... [ More ]