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What are some commonly known facts that are too bizarre for you to believe to be true? (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 year ago by zirzedolta@lemm.ee to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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For me it is the fact that our blood contains iron. I earlier used to believe the word stood for some 'organic element' since I couldn't accept we had metal flowing through our supposed carbon-based bodies, till I realized that is where the taste and smell of blood comes from.

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[-] Iraglassceiling@hexbear.net 52 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The birthday paradox

If you get 23 people in a room the odds of two of them sharing a birthday are 50%

The birthday paradox is a veridical paradox: it seems wrong at first glance but is, in fact, true. While it may seem surprising that only 23 individuals are required to reach a 50% probability of a shared birthday, this result is made more intuitive by considering that the birthday comparisons will be made between every possible pair of individuals. With 23 individuals, there are (23 × 22)/2 = 253 pairs to consider, far more than half the number of days in a year.

[-] zirzedolta@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago

Blows my mind how this by its bare bones is just simple statistics and combinations but is a totally different story when described in English. I'm sure there are similar facts like this that are mathematically logical but to a layman is confusing and inconceivable.

[-] AOCapitulator@hexbear.net 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'm sure there are similar facts like this that are ~~mathematically logical~~ materially sound but to an ~~layman~~ american it's confusing and inconceivable

communism

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this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023

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