Lottery-Winning Maths

00:00 // Introduction to Games of Chance 00:12 // Can Mathematics Help Us Win? 00:14 // The Origins of Probability Theory 00:21 // Why You Shouldn’t Buy a British Lottery Ticket on Monday 00:26 // How Voltaire Used Math to Win the Lottery 00:34 // The History and Advantages of Dice Games 00:55 // A Popular Dice Game in France 01:18 // Understanding the Probability of Rolling a Six 02:01 // Calculating the Probability of Winning a Dice Bet 03:29 // The Mistake in Antoine’s Gambling Strategy 05:02 // Pascal and Fermat’s Contributions to Probability 07:02 // The Problem of Points in Gambling 08:41 // Common Mistakes in Probability 10:15 // The Gambler’s Fallacy and Randomness 12:56 // Why Blackjack is Beatable and Roulette is Not 15:25 // The History of Lotteries 17:35 // Understanding Lottery Odds 20:42 // Strategies to Maximize Lottery Winnings 22:31 // Conclusion The field of probability started when a French nobleman asked the mathematician Blaise Pascal to solve a dispute for him about a game consisting of throwing a pair of dice 24 times. Pascal discussed this and other problems with fellow mathematician Pierre de Fermat, in a series of letters in which they arrived at the basic principles of probability theory. This lecture looks at dice, cards, lotteries, and other games of chance. Can mathematics help us win? A lecture by Sarah Hart recorded on 31 January 2023 at David Game College, London. The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/l... Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/ Website: https://gresham.ac.uk Twitter:   / greshamcollege   Facebook:   / greshamcollege   Instagram:   / greshamcollege