Powerball Odds the same with 1 ticket and 2 tickets?

Toddy · #1 10-20-2005, 11:52 AM

Huge debate at work here. It's everyone against me. We've had this debate before. People think that say the odds are 1-135 million that if you buy 2 tickets the odds are still pretty much 1-135 mil. I said no it would be 1-67.5 mil and every is pretty much laughing at me. I said it's common math. You have 2 chances in 135 mil. When i said if you buy 10 tickets you have a 1-13.5 mil chance people almost fell over in their chairs laughing. Am I going insane or am I right here?

SheetWise · #2 10-20-2005, 12:07 PM

Assuming you don't buy tickets with the same numbers, you're right. If you bought 100 -- it would be 1:1.35MM (using your numbers).

#3 10-20-2005, 12:13 PM

Your odds are two OUT of 146 million. If you simplify this fraction, you get 1/73 mil. You are correct.

Toddy · #4 10-20-2005, 12:43 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Assuming you don't buy tickets with the same numbers, you're right. If you bought 100 -- it would be 1:1.35MM (using your numbers).

[/ QUOTE ]

I was just about to say that. As long as the same numbers are not selected.

Toddy · #5 10-20-2005, 12:56 PM

If I could have a few more responses I'd appreciate it. Im gonna email them around to the idiots in my office.. The funny thing is most of these people are really intelligent. People have a tendency to be bad at math. And for some reason a couple people think you throw math out the window when it comes to lottery questions.

Toddy · #6 10-20-2005, 12:59 PM

"okay well you have to figure out what the odds are of getting each number"

I say, "NO YOU DON'T! you just take the 1-135 million as the odds"

SheetWise · #7 10-20-2005, 01:20 PM

If you bought every combination, 135MM tickets, you would have a guaranteed win.

Buy 135MM tickets, odds = 135MM/135MM = 1
Buy 67.5MM tickets, odds = 67.5MM:135MM = 1/2
Buy 33.75MM, odds = 33.75MM/135MM = 1/4
Buy 16.875MM, odds = 16.875MM/135MM = 1/8
...
Buy 2, odds = 2/135MM = 1/67.5MM
Buy 1, odds = 1/135MM

Toddy · #8 10-20-2005, 01:22 PM

[ QUOTE ]
If you bought every combination, 135MM tickets, you would have a guaranteed win.

Buy 135MM tickets, odds = 135MM:135MM = 1
Buy 67.5MM tickets, odds = 67.5MM:135MM = 1:2
Buy 33.75MM, odds = 33.75MM:135MM = 1:4
Buy 16.875MM, odds = 16.875MM:135MM = 1:8
...
Buy 2, odds = 2:135MM = 1:67.5MM
Buy 1, odds = 1:135MM

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you.. I'm gathering all this info and I'm going to put it in an email for all the detractors to see..

TomCollins · #9 10-20-2005, 01:41 PM

[ QUOTE ]
If I could have a few more responses I'd appreciate it. Im gonna email them around to the idiots in my office.. The funny thing is most of these people are really intelligent. People have a tendency to be bad at math. And for some reason a couple people think you throw math out the window when it comes to lottery questions.

[/ QUOTE ]

You have clearly made one mistake. These people are definitely not really intelligent.

KenProspero · #10 10-20-2005, 02:22 PM

Clearly, the people in your office are half right and you're completely wrong.

No matter how many tickets you buy, you either win or lose -- so it's a 50/50 shot no matter what you do. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]