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Coin flipping is a method that trusts the decision to pure luck, since there is no possibility for strategy, and any attempt to alter the odds (such as, most obviously, using a fake coin with both sides the same) is considered cheating. It is generally assumed that the outcome is unpredictable, with equal probabilities for the two outcomes (the fair coin), although careful analysis has shown that is not quite the case.
Coin tossing is popular because it is fast, more or less fair, and requires nothing but a little spare change.
The historical origin of coin flipping is the interpretation of a chance outcome as the expression of divine will. A well-known example of such divination (although not involving a coin) is the episode in which the prophet Jonah was chosen by lot to be cast out of the boat, only to be swallowed by a giant fish ( Book of Jonah, Chapter 1).
Coin flipping as a game 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 emperor on the other. In England, this game was referred to as cross and pile .
During coin flipping the coin is flipped into the air, usually by resting it on a bent index finger (usually of the dominant hand) and hitting the edge of it with the thumb, or a similar motion. During important events this may be done by a third person who is uninvolved or impartial to the dispute, although more commonly one of the disputants will do the flipping.
While the coin is in midair one of the parties calls "heads" or "tails". The coin may be left to fall freely, or caught by the tosser, either in the open palm or by bringing one hand down over it as it lands on the other hand or arm. In any case the participants then see whether it has landed with the upper side showing "heads"--the side with the portrait or profile on it, or "tails"--the opposite side. If the caller was correctly able to guess the side, then they win that round, otherwise they lose.
There may be several rounds in a single game of coin flipping if the participants agree to this ahead of time, but typically there is only one; this keeps the contest quick and prevents the losing side from asking for more rounds after the toss.
The coin may be any type, as long as it has two distinct sides, with a portrait on one side. The most popular coin to flip in the United States is the quarter because of its size; in the UK a 2p, 10p or 50p piece is favoured. However, participants will use any coin that is handy.
Coin flipping is used to decide which team gets the kickoff, which way the teams will play, or similar questions in soccer matches, American footballAmerican football known in the United States simply as football is a competitive team sport that rewards players' speed, agility, skill, tactics, and brute strength as they run and throw a ball, and block, tackle, and outrun each other, trying to force th games, and almost any other sport requiring such decisions. The most famous case of this in the U.S. is the use of coin flipping in major league football games, especially the Super BowlAmerican football competitions The Super Bowl is the championship game of professional American football. It is the championship game of the National Football League, and is the most important American football competition. An AFL-NFL Championship Game wa. A special mint coin, which later goes to the Football Hall of Fame, is used for this purpose, and other coins in that edition are sold as collectors items. The actual NFLFor other uses of the abbreviation "NFL," see NFL (disambiguation). The National Football League NFL is the largest and most popular professional American football league in the world, consisting of thirty-two teams from American cities. The league was fo rule is that the team winning the coin toss elects whether to choose which team kicks off, or whether to choose which team defends which end, in the first quarter; the other team makes the other one of the two choices, and then makes the same election at the start of the third quarter.
In some jurisdictions, a coin is flipped to decide between two candidates who poll equal number of votes in an electionSee also Election (movie) for the film directed by Alexander Payne For the Theological concept of election, see Predestination An election is a process in which a vote is held to elect candidates to an office. It is the mechanism by which a democracy fill, or two companies tenderTender may mean: one of several types of boat or ship, all sharing the general function of servicing another type of air or sea vessel: seaplane tender supplies and services seaplanes submarine tender resupplies submarines motor torpedo boat tender resupping equal prices for a project. (For example, a coin toss decided a City of Toronto tender in 20032003 is a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar), and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Summary Perhaps the defining global event of the year 2003 was the Invasion of Iraq launched by the U for painting lines on 1,605 km of city streets: the bids were $161,110.00, $146,584.65, and two equal bids of $111,242.55. The numerical coincidence is less remarkable than it seems at first blush, because three of the four bids work out to an integral number of cents per kilometer.)
In more casual settings, coin flipping is used simply to resolve arguments between friends or family members. Unlike Rock, Paper, Scissors, coin tossing is almost never done purely for amusement.