This is clearly a silly thread...or isn't it?
I mean any of us who claim to know anything about stuh-tis-tics know that, over the proverbial "long run" (say, a million or so tosses), a coin with an equal distribution of weight throughout its mass, when tossed into the air in a consistent manner, will end up with a 50-50 "Heads" v. "Tails" split. Or not...
Apparently some Stanford statisticians with too much time on their hands looked into this with a high speed camera and concluded (link below):
"....here's what the researchers concluded: Using a high-speed camera that photographed people flipping coins, the three researchers determined that a coin is more likely to land facing the same side on which it started. If tails is facing up when the coin is perched on your thumb, it is more likely to land tails up.
"How much more likely? At least 51 percent of the time, the researchers claim, and possibly as much as 55 percent to 60 percent — depending on the flipping motion of the individual."
So, given BB's propensity for studying the game down to its smallest details to get the slightest edge for the Pats, is it out of the question that he became aware of this and instructed the guy calling the toss to see if he can observe which side the official is holding "up" when he tosses the coin?
I don't know and, frankly, I doubt it, but I'd love it if even the possibility of this will now start to drive other Coaches out of their minds!
Heads or tails? It depends on how you flip it
