Chance Meeting
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understandinguncertainty.org was produced by the Winton programme for the public understanding of risk based in the Statistical Laboratory in the University of Cambridge. The aim was to help improve the way that uncertainty and risk are discussed in society, and show how probability and statistics can be both useful and entertaining.
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1961, I was in the army as a National Serviceman stationed in Germany. I got a two week leave to come home to England at the same time as a friend of mine. As he lived in North London and I lived on the South Coast we arranged to meet in central London and I would go to his house for two days. I travelled to London by train and when I arrived I had to go on the Underground to our meeting place. I went to the Circle line to take the train and as the trains come every few minutes I did not have long to wait. When it arrived the doors slid open to reveal another friend, a soldier from my regiment standing there!! I didn't even know he was on leave. The chances of that happening must be enormous, that he was on that particular train in that exact spot for us to meet.
Date submitted:Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:30:03 +0000Coincidence ID:5521
