By Ainissa Ramirez and Salima Koroma
The coin flip is so synonymous with randomness that the phrase has become a metaphor for unpredictability itself. We even trust the coin toss with our nation’s most popular sport: Every NFL game begins with a flip to decide which team will kick or receive.
But while everyone intuitively knows there’s a roughly 50-50 chance the coin will land on either side, few understand exactly what makes a coin toss random in the first place.
Watch the video to find out the answer.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Introducing the 2024 TIME100 Next
- The Reinvention of J.D. Vance
- How to Survive Election Season Without Losing Your Mind
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Scams
- Did the Pandemic Break Our Brains?
- The Many Lives of Jack Antonoff
- 33 True Crime Documentaries That Shaped the Genre
- Why Gut Health Issues Are More Common in Women
Contact us at [email protected]