Shared aquaintance

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.

So, I am at this year's Boomtown Festival, 35000 attending. I have foolishly lost my tent, and all my belongings, and become separated from my friend. For 12 hours, no money, no phone, no keys. I ask a few people if I can borrow their smartphone, so I can get onto my webmail contacts lists, to find the mobile number of my friend. But fail due to drained batteries and no mobile signal. Having all but given up hope, I randomly ask a lass if I might borrow her smartphone, same reason. Fortunately, she has battery and signal. In casual conversation, I explain that I'm trying to obtain mobile number for my friend, who's from Falmouth. The lass says she too is from Falmouth. I know a few names of my friend's Falmouth crowd, though not what they look like. So I ask her name. She introduces herself as Ilka. Immediately I recognise the name as being one of the aforementioned crowd. And being an unusual name, I ask if she might happen to know my friend's name, Matt Hepworth. Ilka replies, yes indeed! And that I won't need to check my contacts list, because she has Matt's number anyway in her phone address book!!
Total votes: 347
Date submitted:Sat, 14 Sep 2013 16:21:47 +0000Coincidence ID:7207