Mega Millions, how many combinations

[Mayfriday0529]

Anyone know how many possible number combinations there could be in the MEGA Millions lottery.
You have to pick 5 numbers from 1-52 and then mega ball from another set of 1-52.

 

[StageLeft]

52 X 52 X 52 X 52 X 52 is the first one and then with your other megabll thing multiply all again by 52, so chances are low of winning.

 

[Mayfriday0529]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
52 X 52 X 52 X 52 X 52 is the first one and then with your other megabll thing multiply all again by 52, so chances are low of winning.

So thats why i didnt win last night

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
52 X 52 X 52 X 52 X 52 is the first one and then with your other megabll thing multiply all again by 52, so chances are low of winning.

No, it would be:

52 x 51 x 50 x 49 x 48 x 52 = 16,217,510,400

More specifically one in, but you get the picture.

Viper GTS

 

[Mayfriday0529]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: Skoorb
52 X 52 X 52 X 52 X 52 is the first one and then with your other megabll thing multiply all again by 52, so chances are low of winning.

No, it would be:

52 x 51 x 50 x 49 x 48 x 52 = 16,217,510,400

Viper GTS

16 billion combination jeez

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Jnetty99

Originally posted by: Skoorb
52 X 52 X 52 X 52 X 52 is the first one and then with your other megabll thing multiply all again by 52, so chances are low of winning.

So thats why i didnt win last night

Let's put it this way: If every single person on the planet of 6 billion entered and they all had different numbers so that no two people were using the same one, there would be a prize winning only every third occasion that there was a drawing.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: Skoorb
52 X 52 X 52 X 52 X 52 is the first one and then with your other megabll thing multiply all again by 52, so chances are low of winning.

No, it would be:

52 x 51 x 50 x 49 x 48 x 52 = 16,217,510,400

More specifically one in, but you get the picture.

Viper GTS

You're not allowed to pick the same number on each of the 52? I guess I don't play the lotto enough to know that

 

[profmath]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
52 X 52 X 52 X 52 X 52 is the first one and then with your other megabll thing multiply all again by 52, so chances are low of winning.

Not exactly right. Since you can't pick the same number twice it is actually 52C5 (thats 52 choose 5) then *52 for the powerball. Actually calculates to a 1 in 135,145,920 chance.

The popularity of the lottery is proof that the US is becomming more mathematically retarded.

 

[Mayfriday0529]

Originally posted by: profmath

Originally posted by: Skoorb
52 X 52 X 52 X 52 X 52 is the first one and then with your other megabll thing multiply all again by 52, so chances are low of winning.

Not exactly right. Since you can't pick the same number twice it is actually 52C5 (thats 52 choose 5) then *52 for the powerball. Actually calculates to a 1 in 135,145,920 chance.

The popularity of the lottery is proof that the US is becomming more mathematically retarded.

I see the odds on the website for lottery same as you posted. so its 135 millions combinations instead of 16 billion correct? if it is makes me feel better.

 

[profmath]

Srry Viper but I don't think that the lottery cares what order that the numbers are in so your way(permutations) is incorrect.

Here is good info

Math Help

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Jnetty99

Originally posted by: profmath

Originally posted by: Skoorb
52 X 52 X 52 X 52 X 52 is the first one and then with your other megabll thing multiply all again by 52, so chances are low of winning.

Not exactly right. Since you can't pick the same number twice it is actually 52C5 (thats 52 choose 5) then *52 for the powerball. Actually calculates to a 1 in 135,145,920 chance.

The popularity of the lottery is proof that the US is becomming more mathematically retarded.

I see the odds on the website for lottery same as you posted. so its 135 millions combinations instead of 16 billion correct? if it is makes me feel better.

Mine would be for picking them in the same order as they did, if the order doesn't matter then the math is beyond me (never had any probability).

Viper GTS

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: profmath

The popularity of the lottery is proof that the US is becomming more mathematically retarded.

after a certain point each lottery gets to an even bet. i buy tickets starting at that point.

 

[profmath]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: profmath

The popularity of the lottery is proof that the US is becomming more mathematically retarded.

after a certain point each lottery gets to an even bet. i buy tickets starting at that point. mega millions is about $140 million.

The lottery is NEVER and even bet. Odds are always 1 in 135 million

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: profmath

Originally posted by: Skoorb
52 X 52 X 52 X 52 X 52 is the first one and then with your other megabll thing multiply all again by 52, so chances are low of winning.

Not exactly right. Since you can't pick the same number twice it is actually 52C5 (thats 52 choose 5) then *52 for the powerball. Actually calculates to a 1 in 135,145,920 chance.

The popularity of the lottery is proof that the US is becomming more mathematically retarded.

But if you're choosing 5 numbers between 1 and 52, and you can't repeat, then viper's math sounds good to me. I don't know how you come up with 135 million? Even without the final X 52, you've still got 311 million.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: profmath

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: profmath

The popularity of the lottery is proof that the US is becomming more mathematically retarded.

after a certain point each lottery gets to an even bet. i buy tickets starting at that point. mega millions is about $140 million.

The lottery is NEVER and even bet. Odds are always 1 in 135 million

Yep, and with people thinking like Elfenix "I don't buy tickets unless the lotto is such and such", then all you end up doing is splitting the winnings.

 

[StageLeft]

Oh, order doesn't matter, so I guess that's why viper's number is too high. OK

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: profmath


The lottery is NEVER and even bet. Odds are always 1 in 135 million

do you know what an even bet is?

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Yep, and with people thinking like Elfenix "I don't buy tickets unless the lotto is such and such", then all you end up doing is splitting the winnings.

thats the rub, doesn't always happen though.

 

[Krazy4Real]

Aren't the chances of getting struck by lightning greater than winning the lotto?

 

[edro]

Any site that gives some probability of extremely rare things happening? At work, we play 20 tickets, twice a week, so we have a .000000147% chance of winning (20/135mil).

I wanna compare this chance to something in actual life... like a baby having 28 fingers, or a meteor hitting Earth... stuff like that.

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: profmath

The popularity of the lottery is proof that the US is becomming more mathematically retarded.

after a certain point each lottery gets to an even bet. i buy tickets starting at that point.

The problem is that you aren't guaranteed the whole pot. If the pot is at $500 million, you'd be all over that ticket. When 10 people won and you only got $50 million, you'd feel like a loser for making that sucker bet...

 

[profmath]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: profmath


The lottery is NEVER and even bet. Odds are always 1 in 135 million

do you know what an even bet is?

Yes an even bet is one that you have a 50% chance of winning.

A bad bet is one that you have less than a 50% chance of winning.....like the lottery or you being right on this.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: profmath


Yes an even bet is one that you have a 50% chance of winning.

A bad bet is one that you have less than a 50% chance of winning.....like the lottery or you being right on this.

no, an even bet is when the cost is equal to the expected payout. if the expected payout of mega millions is $135,145,920 and the cost is $1 then your expected value is $1 assuming only 1 person wins. since there is a chance of multiple winners the even bet point needs to be adjusted upward by that chance, but it is still there. and it's actually lower than that because there are minor prizes that have a better chance of being won (picking 5 balls and whatnot).

 

[Ogg]

Originally posted by: profmath

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: profmath


The lottery is NEVER and even bet. Odds are always 1 in 135 million

do you know what an even bet is?

Yes an even bet is one that you have a 50% chance of winning.

A bad bet is one that you have less than a 50% chance of winning.....like the lottery or you being right on this.

:Q

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: profmath

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: profmath


The lottery is NEVER and even bet. Odds are always 1 in 135 million

do you know what an even bet is?

Yes an even bet is one that you have a 50% chance of winning.

A bad bet is one that you have less than a 50% chance of winning.....like the lottery or you being right on this.

Could it not apply to the situation where a lottery has built up to such a high level that the total winnings will equal the total income from ticket sales, thus meaning that from a grand perspective, it's an even bet? Obviously the lotto company would have reaped huge rewards from all of the unwon games, and never will lose. But, if odds are one in 135 million and the total winnings are now up to 59 trillion dollars, then you could drop a billion on them and that's a damn good investment, so it would be a statistically wise thing to do.

Anyway, I still think that as lottos increase in wealth the number of ticket buyers more than makes up for it, so it's probably a _worse_ idea, from a money-back standpoint, to wait until the lottos have grown really large.