How Statisticians Split a Bill
9 hours ago
- #probabilistic fairness
- #bill splitting
- #dining etiquette
- Describes a method for splitting bills that is both fast and fair using a probabilistic approach.
- Explains the process: treat the bill as a pie chart, throw a dart at it, and the person whose item the dart lands on pays the entire bill.
- Mentions a web app (tablestakes.cc) that automates the selection by taking a picture of the receipt.
- Addresses edge cases like shared items or multiple people ordering the same item.
- Analyzes the statistical fairness over time, showing that expected payments converge to what is owed.
- Discusses variance and the impact of bill size on luck, with larger bills having a quadratic effect on variance.
- Suggests using the method for smaller bills initially to minimize early volatility in payments.