Monday, July 21, 2008

Bipartite Birthdays

Janet and Mom share this day as their birthday. As the family has grown, it seems surprising how many shared birthdays there are, but actually

P(N) = [365 × 364 × · · · × (365−N+1)] / 365N

shows that you only need 23 people to have a greater than 50% chance of a shared birthday.

So Happy Birthday to Janet, and to Mom, the two people who have had the greatest impact on me. Mom guided me from diapers through dating with unconditional love that is still evident today. Janet who enabled me to be where I am today, stuck with me when I made bad choices, and continues to make dreams come true for me. I wish you both a birthday filled with love.

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