The Skittle Stability Effect

(The science teachers hate the labs the course makes us do, so they are often modified into something completely different; then the teachers need to explain what to do. We’re doing a modified science lab via an online conference involving Skittles and M&Ms, and are trying to calculate the results.)

Teacher: “What’s the average diversity index for the M&Ms? Add them all up and divide by three.”

Class: *does the math* “0.85.”

Teacher: “All right, what’s the average diversity index for the Skittles?”

(I do the math and frown at the results.)

Student #1: “0.85.”

Student #2: “Um, 0.85…”

Me: “0.85?”

(Everyone else reports that they indeed got 0.85.)

Teacher: “Really? It’s the same? I’ve done this lab for ten years and it’s never been the same.”

Me: “We just made history!”

Student #3: “Mark this day down on your calendars. The day we got two results to be the same in a science lab.”