Skip to main content

Check your intuition: The birthday problem - David Knuffke

2,792,125 Views

13,668 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Imagine a group of people. How big do you think the group would have to be before there’s more than a 50% chance that two people in the group have the same birthday? The answer is … probably lower than you think. David Knuffke explains how the birthday problem exposes our often-poor intuition when it comes to probability.

The video ends with the statement “sometimes coincidences aren’t as coincidental as they seem.” Explain.

Sign in to answer question

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator David Knuffke
  • Director Biljana Labović
  • Script Editor Eleanor Nelsen
  • Animator Kaitlyn Carroll
  • Sound Designer Weston Fonger
  • Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

More from Math In Real Life