You can load a die but you can't bias a coin (2002) [pdf]

Re:You can load a die but you can't bias a coin (2002) [pdf] by madcaptenor on Sunday April 12, 2015 @10:19AM (#9363409)

The Gelman-Nolan paper is from 2002; the Diaconis et al. paper is from 2007, and cites Gelman-Nolan. Gelman and Nolan are pretty smart, but they don't have a time machine.

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Re:You can load a die but you can't bias a coin (2002) [pdf] by jmount on Sunday April 12, 2015 @12:23PM (#9363813)

Indeed Diaconis et al. cites Gelman-Nolan.

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Re:You can load a die but you can't bias a coin (2002) [pdf] by mturmon on Sunday April 12, 2015 @08:37PM (#9365321)

The nut of the citation is worth reading:

"In light of all the variations, it is natural to ask if inhomogeneity in the mass distribution of the coin can change the outcome. [Lindley, 1981] followed by [Gelman & Nolan, 2002] give informal arguments suggesting that inhomogeneity doesn’t matter for flipped coins caught in the hand. Jaynes reports that 100 flips of a jar lid showed no evidence of bias. We had coins made with lead on one side and balsa wood on the other. Again no bias showed up. All of this changes drastically if inhomogenious coins are spun on the table (they tend to land heavy side up). As explained above, some of this bias persists for coins flipped onto a table or floor."

You have to love Persi Diaconis. Having coins made up with lead on one side and balsa wood on the other.

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