Is the result from the toss of a coin random, as it is generally made out to be?

Question

Wonder if even the toss of a coin is not purely random, then what in this universe can be, if at all!!

Answer 1

Toss of coin is not random. If you could throw the coin with the same force into the air, catch it at the same height, etc, it would fall on the same side.
The measure how "random" events are is related to the number of factors that influence the outcome. All events in the macro world have a limited number of influencing factors, therefore none of them is realy purely random.
The only purely random event, at least to modern physics, would be related to Heisenbergs principle, but the same principle says it could not be observed... therefore nothing is random.

Answer 2

Well you have the 50/50 chance of each individual coin toss (assuming that the 'tosser' is not using a two-headed coin).

There is this thing called the law of large numbers. Basically it says that the more times something is done (larger and larger numbers) the closer it will be to the odds. In this case, that is 50% heads, and 50% tails.

If you try an experiment of ten coin tosses, you will probably get something like 6/4 or even 7/3. This is because random numbers have runs. If you tossed a coin 100 times, you will probably get a run of at least 10-15 of one side or another.

However, by the time you have reached 100 tosses, you will be close to 50/50 on the total. This is the law of large number kicking in, and if you continued to toss it 1000 times, you would be extremely close to 50/50 if not on it exactly.

This is why when people try to "act random" they fail. The human mind needs patterns to function, and we will look for patterns in the randomness. Sometimes we will even think that we have found those patterns. Millions are lost in Las Vegas because people thought they found the pattern of the roulette wheel, or the cards. However, the massive wealth in the Vegas casinos shows that it really is random after all.

Hope this helps,
Good luck

Answer 3

In Law Vegas don't they do equations to determine odds? If this coin lands on heads x times and tails x times out of 10 tosses...random? or the odds? Weight distribution of the coin has to be in the equation also. Would one speck of dirt stuck on the coin cause it to fall on one side more often? There are many random variables that befall the toss of the coin - wind, which way it is flipped from the hand, that speck of dirt, heat, cold......the universe could be another toss of the coin under certain conditions. I believe nothing in life is a certainty except death. Even paying taxes has its variables...some don't have to ....some do.

Answer 4

In an infinite number of tosses, yes, it theoretically works out to random, and even after a few hundred thousand tosses, it's so close as for the difference to be negligible

Answer 5

A coin flip can be controlled every single time.