Is it true that when you flip a coin that heads comes out more than tails b/c that side is heavier?

Question

My friends don't believe me.
Any proof would be good :)

Answer 1

Not much real evidence. Here's some stuff from wiki.


Moreover, they have demonstrated both mathematically and experimentally that the underlying physics of coin tosses appears to have a slight bias for a caught coin to be caught the same way up as it was thrown, with a probability of around 0.51. Stage magicians and gamblers, with practice, are able to greatly increase this bias, whilst still making throws which are visually indistinguishable from normal throws.

Since the images on the two sides of actual coins are made of raised metal, the toss is likely to slightly favor one face or the other. This is particularly true if the coin is allowed to roll on one edge upon landing; coin spinning is much more likely to be biased than flipping, and conjurers trim the edges of coins so that when spun they usually land on a particular face.

Answer 2

It's not a simple question to answer, but coins cannot be assumed come heads or tails with exactly equal odds because coins tend to be asymmetric. It's like throwing a loaded die. My personal experience is that quarters tend to come up heads slightly more often than tails, but that's anecdotal. If a coin is flipped vigorously, so that it is spinning rapidly, it is more likely to have the rotationally advancing edge strike the ground first rather than the rotataionally receding one. A lower center of mass of the coin (which is the case where the heavier side is on the down side) at impact would result in a more vertical bounce of the edge, making it more likely that the coin will turn over at least once more. The opposite case with the higher center of mass at impact would have a less vertical vertical edge bounce, and thus less likely to turn the coin over again once more. So, the heavier side should be more likely to end upside in both cases. I always pick a nice, smooth, and hard surface to flip quarters when playing against people, because this tiny difference in odds disappears on a soft surface, like the back of your hand.

I must add the disclaimer that this is all speculative stuff, and I've never actually conducted a scientific trial on this. Hey, do you know what? I think this is a good Mythbusters question. I think I'll contact them.

Answer 3

That's false. And besides, if the Heads side were heavier Tails would come up more often...Unless you do that last flip (You know, where you catch it one hand and flip on the back of the other hand)

Anyway...
You can run this test yourself out of 100 flips...
It won't be 50/50 even, but if you keep doing the experiment counting in groups of 100, you'll see that Tails might be more prominent in some groupings than Heads and vice versa.

Answer 4

You just haven't flipped the coin enough times

Answer 5

Yes it's true although not all coins are made 100% the same thus it might be vice-versa.