Hosted by Brian Brushwood. New episodes Wednesdays.
If Harvard offered a PhD in deceit, this would be it. Award-winning magician Brian Brushwood takes viewers on an inside tour of bar tricks, street cons and scams. If you watch carefully, you'll never have to pay for a drink again! Read More
For our 100th episode, we've got a statistical scam that sounds impossible.
Quick: in your own mind, imagine you're at a party with 35-40 people. What do you think are the odds that two people will share the exact same birthday?
Remember, we're looking at about 40 people in the room, and there's 365 days in the year, so would it be...
(a) 0-25%
(b) 25%-50%
(c) 50%-75%
(d) 75%-85%
(e) Over 85%
Most people tend to pick (a) or (b), and then occasional smartass will go as high as (d)... but the shocking truth is that with 40 people in the room, the answer is (e), over 85%!
This is a case where the human mind just isn't wired correctly to grasp true probability. Most of us figure "okay, there's about 40 people and about 365 days... so the answer must be about 40/365... which is about 10%." However, the true math is far more complex. To learn more about it, check out this Wikipedia article on the paradox
Here's a few numbers to keep in mind when you're trying to decide if the time is right for you to play this trick:
The odds are 50% you'll get a match with only 23 people in the room
The odds are 80% you'll get a match with only 35 people in the room
The odds are 90% you'll get a match with only 42 people in the room
The odds are 99% you'll get a match with only 57 people in the room (wow!)
The King of Karaoke takes the stage to perform some special songs in true Scam School fashion!
Thank you to everyone who watches, participates & interacts with Scam School! You are the driving force :)
about 4 hours ago
RT @BeSocialMusic: Tricks are a great social ice breaker - heres 2 fast & EASY matchbox #puzzles - big up @ScamSchool @shwood - http://t.co…
5 days ago
This week, @shwood shows you a puzzle that will either make you look really smart or.... http://t.co/9AxhPQ0Hv8
7 days ago
@Shwood shows off the Rogue Ring in the latest episode of Behind the Scam: http://t.co/3npbKfXEDP
11 days ago
Scam School is five years old! Watch as @shwood shows the six greatest scams of all-time: http://t.co/7zlqw32rHQ
13 days ago
RT @grey_matter: 273rd @ScamSchool feature the 6 best tricks from the past! Site: http://t.co/6RRUCAUWJP YouTube: http://t.co/gSEXsUUVks
13 days ago
That's awesome! Thanks for watching!! RT @kirstenisonmars: Spent the entire day watching @ScamSchool @shwood in a badass!
