Lucky 13
As of the 23rd May 2022 this website is archived and will receive no further updates.
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.
Many of the animations were produced using Flash and will no longer work.
In the 1980s I was flying off with 12 other friends for a lads' holiday in Spain. As a nervous flier and fairly superstitious I was uneasy about travelling on Friday 13th. On check in I was given seat 13F. The departure board then showed our flight leaving from gate 13. As far as probability is concerned all fairly routine, but it did prompt many of my travelling companions to joke that I was/ we were all doomed. It then began to dawn on me that this was my 13th trip abroad and worryingly my 13th flight as 6 of my previous European holidays were via ferry crossings.
Date submitted:Sun, 08 Apr 2018 19:13:54 +0000Coincidence ID:9971
