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Pretty sure it’s because the heads is heavier.

by callamdelaney 6y ago

0-_-0 6y ago
I thought it was common knowledge that heads are heavier than tails. My head certainly is.
- prionassembly 6y ago
  HN is way too harsh on jokes, even when they’re really good - like this one.
  - rootusrootus 6y ago
    I think good jokes can get appreciation here, but we try pretty hard to avoid the reddit-style puns and joke chains that distract from the discussion. They're entertaining sometimes... on reddit.
  - umanwizard 6y ago
    There are plenty of other sites you can go to if you want to read chains of joke comments.
- Spooky23 6y ago
  Some folks have big heads, others big tails.
Closi 6y ago
It’s not, it’s because when flipped the number of flips the coin does in the air is not entirely random.
morelisp 6y ago
Not only is this (somewhat obviously given the discovered bias) wrong, it’s physically impossible to bias a coin flip by weighting one side. Weighting a coin will change its center of gravity but to bias a flip you would need to impart angular momentum while it is in the air; at any constant rate of spin (again somewhat obviously once pointed out) each side will spend 50% of its time "up" and 50% "down". https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1198/000313002605 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1198/000313002605
- callamdelaney 6y ago
  Why does toast land butter side down so often?
  - morelisp 6y ago
    If you flip toast rather than drop it, it doesn’t. Also, if you drop it it doesn’t really land “butter side down” but “top side down”. Just butter the bottom of your toast to solve the problem! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttered_toast_phenomenon https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttered_toast_phenomenon
- ppezaris 6y ago
  There's a huge assumption in this assertion: that you catch the coin. If you let it bounce on a table, it's much more likely to land heavy-side down. Just imagine a very thick coin one side lead the other side balsa wood. That would land lead-side down much more than 50/50 if allowed to bounce on the table.

Pretty sure it’s because the heads is heavier.

0-_-0 6y ago

I thought it was common knowledge that heads are heavier than tails. My head certainly is.

prionassembly 6y ago
HN is way too harsh on jokes, even when they’re really good - like this one.
- rootusrootus 6y ago
  I think good jokes can get appreciation here, but we try pretty hard to avoid the reddit-style puns and joke chains that distract from the discussion. They're entertaining sometimes... on reddit.
- umanwizard 6y ago
  There are plenty of other sites you can go to if you want to read chains of joke comments.
Spooky23 6y ago
Some folks have big heads, others big tails.

Closi 6y ago

It’s not, it’s because when flipped the number of flips the coin does in the air is not entirely random.

morelisp 6y ago

Not only is this (somewhat obviously given the discovered bias) wrong, it’s physically impossible to bias a coin flip by weighting one side. Weighting a coin will change its center of gravity but to bias a flip you would need to impart angular momentum while it is in the air; at any constant rate of spin (again somewhat obviously once pointed out) each side will spend 50% of its time "up" and 50% "down". https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1198/000313002605 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1198/000313002605

callamdelaney 6y ago
Why does toast land butter side down so often?
- morelisp 6y ago
  If you flip toast rather than drop it, it doesn’t. Also, if you drop it it doesn’t really land “butter side down” but “top side down”. Just butter the bottom of your toast to solve the problem! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttered_toast_phenomenon https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttered_toast_phenomenon
ppezaris 6y ago
There's a huge assumption in this assertion: that you catch the coin. If you let it bounce on a table, it's much more likely to land heavy-side down. Just imagine a very thick coin one side lead the other side balsa wood. That would land lead-side down much more than 50/50 if allowed to bounce on the table.