Expected value Memes

Probability theory brutally crushing gambling dreams since forever! The meme shows gamblers justifying their habits with "you can only lose 100% but make 2000%" while mathematics says "No you don't." The formula at the bottom is Expected Value - E(X) - which calculates what you'll actually get on average by multiplying each outcome by its probability. For casinos, this formula always tilts in their favor (negative for players). So while gamblers dream of 2000% returns, the cold hard math says "the E(X) is coming" to collect its statistical dues. The house always wins... it's literally built into the equation!

The mathematical madness is strong with this one! Our brave mathematician tried to calculate the expected value of rolling an infinity-sided die and ended up with the mind-bending result of "-0" (negative zero). That's like saying "I have less than no cookies" when your cookie jar is already empty! The horrified "Good lord in heaven" response is every mathematician's soul leaving their body when they spot a catastrophically wrong proof. It's the mathematical equivalent of dividing by zero and accidentally opening a portal to another dimension!

The ultimate math troll! The St. Petersburg paradox is that beautiful mathematical trap where your brain short-circuits between theory and reality. 🧠💥 In theory, you should bet your entire life savings on this game because the expected value is literally infinite! But in practice? That quarter lands on tails and suddenly you're explaining to your spouse why the house belongs to a troll face with a coin. It's the perfect illustration of why mathematicians shouldn't be allowed to manage your investment portfolio. Sure, the equation says "infinite value," but Step 4 says "crushing disappointment and a quarter."

The math nerds are cackling right now. Anyone who paid attention in stats class knows the green button is worth $25 million in expected value (50% × $50M), while the red gives you a guaranteed $1M. Yet most humans grab that red button faster than a tenure committee rejecting new ideas. It's the perfect illustration of why casinos exist—our monkey brains would rather have one banana now than a 50% chance at 50 bananas later. The same reason your research grant proposal got rejected in favor of something "practical."