Shared relationships

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.

About eleven years ago my brother, his wife and my mum were involved in a road accident which resulted in them all being hospitalised. As I was due to go on holiday a few weeks later I decided to telephone my Travel Insurance company to check how I stood regarding compensation should I need to cancel. I gave a brief description of the accident to the young man who answered my call and presumably while I was doing this he brought up my details on his computer screen. When I had finished talking he asked "Are you talking about the N****s?" I was amazed and said "Yes". "I'm G*****'s best friend" he said. (G***** is my brother's son). The young man had noticed from my details that I lived not far from my brother in Kent (south London), and the details of the accident specific enough for him to think it must be the same accident. I had no knowledge of this young man before this conversation, nor any idea that the insurance company was based only a few miles from where I live. Birthday coincidences: My brother and sister were both born Christmas day, different years. My son and his paternal grandfather were both born Christmas eve. One of my grandsons and his paternal grandfather share a birthday. Pat.
Total votes: 300
Date submitted:Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:24:42 +0000Coincidence ID:3825