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Binary Lot
A binary lot is an object that, when cast, comes to rest with 1 of 2 distinct faces uppermost. These can range from precisely-machined objects like modern coins which produce balanced results (each side coming up half the time over many casts), to naturally-occurring objects like cowrie shells which may produce a range of unbalanced results depending upon the species, individual, and even circumstances of the cast. Binary lots may be used for divination, impartial decision-making, gambling, and game playing, the boundaries of which (as David Parlett suggests) can be quite blurred. They may be cast singly, yielding a single binary outcome (yes/no, win/lose, etc.), but often they are cast multiply, several in a single cast, yielding a range of possible outcomes. Coins Unlike most binary lots — which are typically cast ''multiply'' affording a variety of possible outcomes — coins are most often cast (flipped or spun) ''singly'', resulting in a simple yes/no, win/loose outcome ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coin Toss (3635981474)
Coin flipping, coin tossing, or heads or tails is using the thumb to make a coin go up while spinning in the air and checking obverse and reverse, which side is showing when it is down onto a surface, in order to randomly choose between two alternatives. It is a form of sortition which inherently has two possible outcomes. History Coin flipping was known to the Romans as ''navia aut caput'' ("ship or head"), as some coins had a ship on one side and the head of the Roman Emperor, emperor on the other. In England, this was referred to as ''cross and pile''. Process During a coin toss, the coin is thrown into the air such that it rotates edge-over-edge an unpredictable number of times. Either beforehand or when the coin is in the air, an interested party declares "heads" or "tails", indicating which side of the coin that party is choosing. The other party is assigned the opposite side. Depending on custom, the coin may be caught; caught and inverted; or allowed to land on the g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
