RIP Neil Armstrong - or way off topic...

[Phil]

Hi Dick

> I do remember back in college that we were asked to calculate how many people would have to be collected in order for there to be 0.5
> probability that two would share a birthday. It was about 30, as I recall, though I don't feel like running the numbers to make sure.  ;-)
> 
Yes, it is about 30. I teach a freshman maths class to about 120 students, and it's a dead cert every year. Usually I have time to locate two or three pairs with the same birthdate, and the students always want to find all such coincidences (rather than work!). I have never failed to find the first pair within a few minutes. It does make several important points about probability and coincidence.

> Looking forward to our beer together next spring.

Me too! I wonder if we have the same Christmas, too?   :-)

Phil M1GWZ

PS. Incidentally, nearly all my mother's family are September births, and were smirkingly referred to as "Christmas babies" (subtract nne months…). I was a born a month premature… You too, or are you a "Thanksgiving baby"?
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