We see patterns in randomness that aren't there. True random distributions often look "clustered" because our brains expect random to mean "evenly spread." This causes us to see meaningful patterns—hot streaks, lucky zones, conspiracies—in pure noise.
Which star field was generated by a computer using true randomness?
Field A
Field B
Field A
Field B
Field A
Field B
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Avg Nearest Neighbor
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Spacing Variance
0%
Get This Wrong
Click a field above to see clustering analysis. The "clumpier" one is actually random—humans spread points too evenly when trying to be random.
Why does this happen?
When humans try to create "random" patterns, we unconsciously avoid clusters—placing each new point away from existing ones. But true randomness doesn't care about prior points. Random processes naturally create clusters, gaps, and streaks.
Nearest Neighbor Distances
Voronoi Cells (Territory per Point)
Real-world impact: This is why we see "hot hands" in basketball (streaks happen in random sequences), cancer clusters from random environmental causes, stock market "patterns" in noise, and why gamblers believe in lucky streaks.