Numbers Fun Part 2
As was pointed out in Part 1 of this series there is a ‘winning window’ of sums of the white balls that contribute to winning Powerball numbers. That winning window can currently be defined as one bounded by 50 on the low side and 230 on the high side. If you have not done so, please see Numbers Fun Part 1 for the basics.
Within the ‘winning window’ for all Powerball drawings between 8/28/2005 and 2/28/07 there are several noteworthy ‘oddities’ that bear mentioning and these are presented below.
If one further divides the ‘winning window’ into ‘decades’ for the various sums between 50 and 230 and then determines how many sums of the winning whiteball numbers fell within each decade, they will see some very interesting patterns emerge.
50 through 59 - 4 winning numbers
60 through 69 - 2 winning numbers
70 through 79 - 1 winning number
80 through 89 - 3 winning numbers
90 through 99 - 7 winning numbers
100 through 109 - 8 winning numbers
110 through 119 - 9 winning numbers
120 through 129 - 9 winning numbers
130 through 139 - 9 winning numbers
140 through 149 - 9 winning numbers
150 through 159 - 8 winning numbers
160 through 169 - 8 winning numbers
170 through 179 - 7 winning numbers
180 through 189 - 7 winning numbers
190 through 199 - 4 winning numbers
200 through 209 - 2 winning numbers
210 through 219 - 4 winning numbers
220 through 229 - 1 winning number
230 - 1 winning number
There is a total of 103 winning white ball sums ranging between 50 and 230 listed above. Of that total, 36 (almost 35%) of them reside within a window bounded by the 110’s and 140’s decades.
Also noteworthy is the low number of sums (1 each) within the 70’s and 220’s decades.
The sum of the five white balls can range between 15 and 265. This means that the mid-point between the lowest and highest possible sums is 140. The sums of the five white balls in our study range between 50 and 230. This means that the mid-point between the two is, surprise, surprise, 140.
Not only is 140 the mid-point of possible sums of the five white balls it is also the mid-point of the sums of the five white balls actually drawn during all Powerball drawings between 8/28/2005 and 2/28/07.
If one treats a white ball sum of 140 as the mid-point of both possible and actually drawn sums it permits a comparison in how the sums reside below and above that mid-point. For the period under discussion one will find that 52 of the winning sums were below the mid-point and 51 were at or above the mid-point. A fairly even distribution by anyone’s standards.
Does this mean that if one selects values for the white balls in the Powerball lottery so that their sums fall near the center of the ‘winning window’ they will win the jackpot? Of course not, there is far more involved than sums and decades in predicting winning lottery numbers. However tracking the sums and decades of the five white balls drawn at each Powerball drawing can prove both interesting and informative. It might even prove beneficial.
In Part 3 of this series we will expand upon the above and get into some rudimentary analysis based on the old saying “The trend is your friend”.
Watch for it, coming soon.