Thunderball last-digit statistics: how are the final digits distributed?
Last digit = the final digit of a number (7, 17, 27 … have the last digit 7). A popular strategy says the winning numbers should have as many different last digits as possible. Here are the figures.
Frequency of each last digit
| Last digit | Observed | Expected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1193 | 1,165.0 | |
| 1 | 1586 | 1,553.3 | |
| 2 | 1532 | 1,553.3 | |
| 3 | 1562 | 1,553.3 | |
| 4 | 1546 | 1,553.3 | |
| 5 | 1517 | 1,553.3 | |
| 6 | 1568 | 1,553.3 | |
| 7 | 1523 | 1,553.3 | |
| 8 | 1581 | 1,553.3 | |
| 9 | 1537 | 1,553.3 |
How many different last digits does a draw have?
| Observed | Share | Expected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 different | 1160 | 38.3 % | 39.3 % |
| 4 different | 1484 | 49.0 % | 49.0 % |
| 3 different | 368 | 12.1 % | 11.3 % |
| 2 different | 17 | 0.6 % | 0.4 % |
Line with different last digits
Expected values are exact or simulated, assuming purely random draws. The draws follow chance exactly, and a last-digit rule does not change your chance of winning.