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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.

This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.

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Division of Public Relations and Marketing Communications
Nova Southeastern University
3301 College Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314-7796

nova.edu/prmc

SharkBytes Archives

Contact

Division of Public Relations and Marketing Communications
Nova Southeastern University
3301 College Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314-7796

communications@nova.edu

Halmos Mathematician Interviewed on Playing the Lottery

In the fevered frenzy that was the Powerball and Mega Millions lotteries, Halmos faculty member Jason Gershman, Ph.D., was interviewed on WGN radio – on the Bill and Wendy show about the odds of winning. After Bill and Wendy asked him if there is a strategy to help you win by looking at patterns.

Dr. Gershman responded, “If you look at any pattern long enough you will find clusters of numbers everywhere in life, there’s nothing mathematical behind them, they are just by chance.” When asked about spending hundreds of dollars on lottery tickets, Dr. Gershman said, “The odds of someone winning the lottery are high, but the odds of you winning are close to zero. Buying hundreds of dollars of tickets will still be close to zero”.