# Turns out that sometimes data is the plural of anecdote. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 9, 2011, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776 "2011-04-09T12:46:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/1 "2011-04-09T12:46:17Z")
Years ago I was standing in a queue with a friend who was buying a Lotto ticket because it was a huge jackpot. When we got to the front of the line he was saying to me, “I should have taken 1,2,3,4,5,6. I would be sure to get it all then.” The newsagent chipped in and said, “No you wouldn’t. You would be surprised how many people do that.” I have told the story to people since and usually they insist that hardly anyone would do it. Looking for something else I just came across this [New Zealand article](http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4862320/Some-think-Lottos-as-easy-as-1-2-3) : \*This weekend’s biggest Powerball jackpot of $34 million has had punters forking over their cash in droves. The majority are leaving their chances up to fate, but NZ Lotteries spokeswoman Karen Jones said about a third regularly chose their own numbers. Statistics showed choosing your numbers did not increase the likelihood of winning a big prize. “People do some crazy things. We ran a search and found that about 2000 people pick the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.” Sharing the $34m jackpot with 2000 others would give each person about $17,000 – a nice bonus, but hardly a life-changing sum.\* ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/2 "2011-04-09T13:39:16Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Sharing the $34m jackpot with 2000 others would give each person about $17,000 – a nice bonus, but hardly a life-changing sum.\* How does 34 million divided by 2 thousand come out to 17 thousand? Or is that more New Math? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/3 "2011-04-09T13:49:38Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > How does 34 million divided by 2 thousand come out to 17 thousand? > > Or is that more New Math? Like this: 34000000/2000=17000 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/4 "2011-04-09T13:54:08Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > How does 34 million divided by 2 thousand come out to 17 thousand? > > Or is that more New Math? No it’s old math like I learned in the 60s. 34,000,000 divided by 2,000 if you cross off the zeros is the same as 34,000 divided by 2 which equals 17,000 However I am distressed that the should have been that in the title. So we all get shit wrong. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/5 "2011-04-09T22:53:28Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > However I am distressed that the should have been that in the title. So we all get shit wrong. Me too, so I changed it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/6 "2011-04-10T00:23:31Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > How does 34 million divided by 2 thousand come out to 17 thousand? It doesn’t, really. Only in the tax-free wet dreams of certain Republicans would it come out to that. In reality it would be less. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/7 "2011-04-10T03:44:57Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > It doesn’t, really. Only in the tax-free wet dreams of certain Republicans would it come out to that. > > In reality it would be less. 😛 Exactly … They could buy a Nissan Versa. Really life altering. [I love the way people look at winning the lottery, they almost always forget the taxes!] ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/8 "2011-04-10T03:49:16Z")
Wow, I never thought of using my password for a lottery pick. ---
**Author:** ![Pashnish\_Ewing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8797f3/32.png) [@Pashnish\_Ewing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pashnish_Ewing)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/9 "2011-04-10T07:53:38Z")
Doesn’t 1,2,3,4,5,6 have the exact same chance of winning that any other six digit combination has? ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/10 "2011-04-10T08:16:57Z")
Yes, but has a far higher chance that you’ll have to split the pot with other winners. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Klutz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captain_klutz/32/4993_2.png) [@Captain\_Klutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Klutz)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/11 "2011-04-10T10:52:08Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > It doesn’t, really. Only in the tax-free wet dreams of certain Republicans would it come out to that. > > In reality it would be less. 😛 Actually, no. In New Zealand (and Australia too), lottery winnings are tax free. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/12 "2011-04-10T11:17:52Z")
> [@Captain\_Klutz](#): > > Actually, no. In New Zealand (and Australia too), lottery winnings are tax free. Yep. You pay a tax on the purchase of the lottery ticket, so the winnings are tax-free. A 34 million dollar jackpot is actually 34 million dollars for the winner/s. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/13 "2011-04-10T13:54:32Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > Yep. You pay a tax on the purchase of the lottery ticket, so the winnings are tax-free. A 34 million dollar jackpot is actually 34 million dollars for the winner/s. Same in Canada. It’s one of the reasons why our jackpots don’t get to 300 million. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/14 "2011-04-10T14:14:59Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > [I love the way people look at winning the lottery, they almost always forget the taxes!] I always think it’s funny when people act like the taxes are going to make it not worth winning. Did you see the lotto, it’s up to 150 million? Yeah, but taxes are going to take like 50 million back out of that. Ok, so you’re saying you’d rather have nothing? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/15 "2011-04-10T15:24:46Z")
My Lotto-winning daydreams always have me counting on $390K per million on the face value (approximately 60% of the jackpot is the lump-sum prize, and assuming a 65% take of that after taxes gives me 39%). So Tuesday’s $58M Mega-millions draw will get me about $22.62M (always supposing that the nice lady at the gas station followed my instructions properly). ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/16 "2011-04-10T16:26:09Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > My Lotto-winning daydreams always have me counting on $390K per million on the face value (approximately 60% of the jackpot is the lump-sum prize, and assuming a 65% take of that after taxes gives me 39%). > > So Tuesday’s $58M Mega-millions draw will get me about $22.62M (always supposing that the nice lady at the gas station followed my instructions properly). Yeah, but we’re in California where, if it’s a lottery that operates in-state, we don’t have to pay CA taxes. Quite a few states do add state income tax to the federal tax, leaving a smaller share for the winner. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/17 "2011-04-11T01:44:52Z")
My magic daydream number is $319,500 per million in the prize. That is the immediate payout, minus state and federal taxes, and an immediate 10% to charity. Makes it around three and a third million at the usual opening value. There aint a whole lot of stuff I really gotta get that three million won’t buy. And I get to walk into a couple of good charity offices and really make their day. Tris ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/18 "2011-04-11T06:05:56Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > How does 34 million divided by 2 thousand come out to 17 thousand? > > Or is that more New Math? Sorry, I know that’s been answered, but sometimes you just gotta point and laugh… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2011, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-that-sometimes-data-is-the-plural-of-anecdote/577776/19 "2011-04-11T06:31:33Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > [I love the way people look at winning the lottery, they almost always forget the taxes!] Yeah, it’s almost as crazy as not knowing how to divide 34,000,000 by 2,000.