Is 17 the most random number?

[lagizma]

We're returning to our "pick a number between 1 and 20" poll from last week. You guys picked 7 the most often, a whopping 23% of the time out of 30 responses. I don't think my sample size was large enough to get the results I was aiming for, which are detailed below.

From Cognitive Daily:

The idea is that 17 will always be the most common

Comments

[mybodyitleaks]

That is because 7 is by far the best number!

[antarcticlust]

That's interesting- I wonder if there's something about seven in particular (the two most common numbers have sevens), and 17 is the closet to 20 when your brain scrolls down?

You know what's funny? I first thought of seven, and then changed my mind to pick 5, my favorite number. :)

[scackmgackm]

Isn't aiming for certain results in an experiment unscientific? Having a hypothesis and seeing if it comes true is one thing, but I think you jinxed your own study because you wanted to see 17's. :P

[antarcticlust]

Aiming for certain results is only unscientific if your experimental design directly affects the results. In this case, the experiment was one of replication - the hypothesis was whether or not a past pattern would be replicated.