Question

A student claims that if a fair coin is tossed and comes

up heads 5 times in a row, then, according to the law
of averages, the probability of tails on the next toss
is greater than the probability of heads. What is your
reply?
would this be the answer

No matter what comes up or how often you get heads, the chance for each individual throw is always the same -- 1 chance out of 2.

Answer 1

You're right, Crystal.

Answer 2

[AI-generated answer — Explain Bot]

Yes, that would be a correct reply. The law of averages is a common misconception that states that if an event has not occurred for a long time, it is "due" to happen. In reality, the probability of each coin toss is always 1 out of 2, regardless of previous outcomes. So, the probability of heads or tails on the next toss is still 1 out of 2.