Flip a coin

Yes. Each flip uses your browser's cryptographic random generator to choose between heads and tails with exactly equal chances. The 3D animation is just for fun; the result is decided before the coin starts spinning. A real coin is close to fair too, but studies of real tosses have found a small bias toward the side that was facing up when it was flipped. A virtual coin has no such bias.

There is no edge case either: a virtual coin can't land on its edge, roll under the couch or be caught and flipped over on the back of a hand. You get a clean heads or tails every time, which makes it handy when nobody has a coin in their pocket.

Every flip is independent: the coin has no memory. After five heads in a row, the next flip is still exactly 50/50. Believing that tails is "due" is known as the gambler's fallacy.

Streaks also show up more often than people expect. In 100 flips, a run of six or more of the same side in a row is more likely than not. Use the tally to see how the counts even out over many flips: after 10 flips, 7–3 is common, but after 1,000 flips the split is usually within a few percent of 50/50.

Each extra flip halves the chance of a specific sequence.

• Settling ties: who goes first, who gets the front seat, which restaurant.
• Sports: a coin toss decides kickoff in football and the first serve in many games.
• Breaking indecision: psychologists sometimes suggest flipping a coin for a hard choice, not to follow the result blindly, but to notice whether you feel relieved or disappointed by it.
• Teaching probability: flip 50 times as a class and compare the tally with what you'd expect.

For more than two options, use the spin the wheel tool; for a yes or no answer to a question, try the yes or no wheel.

If a single flip feels too abrupt, agree on best of three or best of five before you start, and use the tally to keep score. Hit Reset to clear it for the next decision. Nothing is saved; the tally lives only in your open browser tab.