Yesterday on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks the New York Lottery pick 3 came out 9-1-1. Now, while this is interesting, and quite a coincidence, this is nothing special AND this is not a fix.

I just had an argument with a few people here at work that this is a very possible outcome and that I am not surprised. They all seemed to think it was a fix. First, there are only 1,000 possible outcomes each time the drawing comes up. With only 365 days in the year, this makes the chance that the date will come up as the lottery number on any given day is 1 in 365,000. Now, while I admit that these odds are slim, and that this drawing is pretty amazing that it hit with a number that is the same as the date, it is still very possible. 1 in 365,000 still means that there is a chance it will happen. In fact, this is not the first or last time that this has happened.

The other side of this is that people are amazed that it hit on 9-11. What significance is there between the lottery and the terrorist attacks? None that I can tell, so I don't get why this is meaningful in any way.

For more info about probability as it relates to gambling, check this out. After which you may play your lottery numbers less frequently.

I am even more baffled by people who insist on relating people's birthdays to one another. "ooh, today is your birthday? My cousin is born the day before you, isn't that weird?" Umm, no. I don't know your cousin and there are only 365 days in the year, so there are always going to be people who have a birthday close to mine, unless I am born on February 29th.

Final Note - My calculation about for the lottery, I know, is not 100% accurate between me not being a math professor and not including both leap year and the fact that the pick 3 is not drawn every day of the week, but you get the idea.