50/50

This is a quick explanation of how it is that the odds of anything happening are 50/50.  You may think that’s crazy or that I simply do not understand how ratios work, but I will prove it to you.

Disclaimer: it must be something that is possible.  If something appears to be unlikely to happen, the odds remain 50/50.  However, some things, barring miraculous intervention, are actually impossible, like an apple spontaneously turning into an orange or a good Twilight book.  In those cases, the odds are, of course, 0.

So here is an example.  What are the odds that I will die in the next 5 minutes?  Well, there are any number of factors that might contribute to this happening.  I could have an aneurism.  An airplane could crash into my apartment.  There truly are an infinite number of things that could happen in the next 5 minutes that could cause my death.  But there are also any number of scenarios wherein I do not die in the next 5 minutes.  I could sit here at the computer uneventfully.  I could walk outside and not fall over the railing.  Truly, there are an infinite number of ways in which I could not die.

Now we apply a little bit of math.  Infinity vs infinity.  They’re equal, and therefore 50/50.

So, the next time someone asks you, ‘What are the odds?’, you’ll know how to answer.