Asteroid Impacts, Lotteries, and Odds.

[Argus Skyhawk]

According to the Wikipedia article about the Torino Scale, a collision from an asteroid or comet with a rating of 10--large enough to cause global catastrophe and threaten civilization--could happen as much as once in 100,000 years. This means that if you live to be 80 years old, the chances of a world-trashing rock from space hitting the Earth during your lifetime could be as much as 1 out of 1250.

By way of comparison, your chances of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 out of 176,000,000. I just felt like pointing that out.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Um...okay.

(Goes off to buy another lottery ticket)

 

[Tora Ziyal]

 

[Hound of UIster]

They don't call lottery, taxes for the stupid for nothing.

 

[E-DUB]

On the other hand, the practical value of a single dollar, which is what most lottery tickets cost is pretty negligible anyway.

Would love to see a headline that says: "Lottery winner hit by meteorite!"

 

[Deranged Nasat]

Not only are the odds on the asteroid strike considerably better, but you don't have to buy a ticket for that one. More fool you, lottery players, more fool you.

 

[Knight Templar]

Odds perception is a tricky thing that is heavily influence by personal experience.

Not a person alive on Earth has ever experienced a catastrophic asteroid impact.

But every person in the United States has heard of a lottery winner.

Thus, no matter actual statistics, people believe in the possibility of being a lottery winner more than in the possibility of an asteroid hitting the Earth.

 

[Hound of UIster]

On the other hand, the practical value of a single dollar, which is what most lottery tickets cost is pretty negligible anyway.

The people who play the lottery are the ones who can least afford it. Those in the low come brackets spend more than ten percent of their incomes playing it.

 

[Knight Templar]

On the other hand, the practical value of a single dollar, which is what most lottery tickets cost is pretty negligible anyway.

The people who play the lottery are the ones who can least afford it. Those in the low come brackets spend more than ten percent of their incomes playing it.

The last time I was in a casino I could barely walk between the rows of slot machines due to the wheelchairs, walkers, and oxygen tanks.

True story with no exaggeration whatsoever.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Most people who play the lottery do it for fun, to hope and dream for a little while. They could care less about the actual odds of winning because in most cases, only one ticket can win anyway regardless of the odds.

 

[Amaris]

I spend anywhere from $1 to $3 a year playing the lottery. I once won $2.50 on a scratch off. Net loss: 50 cents.

Hm. I can live with that on the off chance that one year it will be "Net gain: $249,999".

 

[Chris3123]

Would love to see a headline that says: "Lottery winner hit by meteorite!"

He didn't win, and it wasn't a meteorite, but close enough:

Man buys lottery tickets, is struck by lightning

 

[horatio83]

According to the Wikipedia article about the Torino Scale, a collision from an asteroid or comet with a rating of 10--large enough to cause global catastrophe and threaten civilization--could happen as much as once in 100,000 years. This means that if you live to be 80 years old, the chances of a world-trashing rock from space hitting the Earth during your lifetime could be as much as 1 out of 1250.

By way of comparison, your chances of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 out of 176,000,000. I just felt like pointing that out.

I am all for using the lottery money to fund a space-watch program and basic research into particle weapons do undo this thing before it undoes us and put out fake stories about lottery winners every now and then.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I remember how one of my bosses used to criticised me and some of my co-workers because we used to pay $3 each a week to be in a lottery syndicate.

My boss went on about how it would be better to just invest the money and how much we would have after saving that $3 each week for 20 years etc.

Finally one of my co-workers got annoyed and pointed out the fact that he bought his lunch from home every day, while my boss would by his lunch from a nearby cafe every day. The cost of a packet of sandwiches from the cafe was $6, while bringing them from home cost about $2. That was at least $20 a week my boss was wasting for no nutritional gain. My co-worker said that my boss was being far more wasteful with his money than we were being by paying into the syndicate. At least we had a small chance of getting some of the "wasted" money back.

 

[horatio83]

A six dollar sandwich? Is there any bourbon in it?

 

[Miss Chicken]

I can assure you sandwiches do cost that much here. A 6 inch Subways costs between $4.95 and $7.95 depending on the filling.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

So what are the odds on Pascal's wager paying off? If I find out that an asteroid is heading our way, should I kneel down and move my lips in prayer?