Matthew P A Clark1, Brian D Westerberg. 1. St. Paul's Rotary Hearing Clinic, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC. matthew.clark@glos.nhs.uk
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The toss of a coin has been a method used to determine random outcomes for centuries. It is still used in some research studies as a method of randomization, although it has largely been discredited as a valid randomization method. We sought to provide evidence that the toss of a coin can be manipulated. METHODS: We performed a prospective experiment involving otolaryngology residents in Vancouver, Canada. The main outcome was the proportion of "heads" coin tosses achieved (out of 300 attempts) by each participant. Each of the participants attempted to flip the coin so as to achieve a heads result. RESULTS: All participants achieved more heads than tails results, with 7 of the 13 participants having significantly more heads results (p<or=0.05). The highest proportion of heads achieved was 0.68 (95% confidence interval 0.62-0.73, p<0.001). INTERPRETATION: Certain people are able to successfully manipulate the toss of a coin. This throws into doubt the validity of using a coin toss to determine a chance result.
BACKGROUND: The toss of a coin has been a method used to determine random outcomes for centuries. It is still used in some research studies as a method of randomization, although it has largely been discredited as a valid randomization method. We sought to provide evidence that the toss of a coin can be manipulated. METHODS: We performed a prospective experiment involving otolaryngology residents in Vancouver, Canada. The main outcome was the proportion of "heads" coin tosses achieved (out of 300 attempts) by each participant. Each of the participants attempted to flip the coin so as to achieve a heads result. RESULTS: All participants achieved more heads than tails results, with 7 of the 13 participants having significantly more heads results (p<or=0.05). The highest proportion of heads achieved was 0.68 (95% confidence interval 0.62-0.73, p<0.001). INTERPRETATION: Certain people are able to successfully manipulate the toss of a coin. This throws into doubt the validity of using a coin toss to determine a chance result.
Authors: Dagmar Schnabl; Georg Goebel; Alice Kadletz; Hanna Gaenzer; René Steiner; Johannes Laimer; Ines Kapferer-Seebacher Journal: J Clin Periodontol Date: 2019-11-03 Impact factor: 8.728
Authors: Lorenz Pisecky; Gerhard Großbötzl; Manuel Gahleitner; Christian Stadler; Stella Stevoska; Christina Haas; Tobias Gotterbarm; Matthias Christoph Michael Klotz Journal: Children (Basel) Date: 2022-02-18