Should you trust unanimous decisions? – Derek Abbott

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/should-you-trust-unanimous-decisions-derek-abbott

Imagine a police lineup where ten witnesses are asked to identify a bank robber they glimpsed fleeing the scene. If six of them pick the same person, there’s a good chance that’s the culprit. And if all ten do, you might think the case is rock solid. But sometimes, the closer you start to get to total agreement, the less reliable the result becomes. Derek Abbott explains the paradox of unanimity.

Lesson by Derek Abbott, animation by Brett Underhill.