Flipping a coin where four states meet

When you Google ‘flipping the coin where four states meet’, a common search result that pops up is an episode of Breaking bad. In this particular episode titled ‘Cornered’ the character Skylar stands at the four corner monument and flips a coin. A lot of persons are unaware that such a monument exists, but in order not to digress. Flipping a coin, also known as coin tossing is an age long custom used when making decisions or choosing between two things. A coin has two sides namely head and tail, therefore a choice is labelled as head and the other has tail. The coin is then thrown or tossed in the air and flips continuously on descent. Whichever side is upwards when it lands win: if it lands on the head, means the decision assigned to tails wins.



Flipping coins have come to find applications in many facets of life. It is a common occurrence in sporting events such as the Super bowl, soccer matches, baseball and many others. In mathematics, coin tossing is applied to probability and statistics scenarios. It is used in behavioral probabilities, physics, politics, online games and applications. Jack Gordon author of ‘The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Leadership Development Tools’ demonstrated in his book the use of coin tossing. Eleven coins were given to eleven persons who were asked to toss the coin and write their statistics in a note pad. In March, Sarah Eckhart, a county Judge in Travis had said she flipped a coin to determine if she will run for the senate seat.



A fun geographical fact is that in the United States there’s a location known as Four corners. It is the precise spot where four states meet at a particular location. The point where the four states meet is referred to as the Four Corners uniting Colorado, Utah, new Mexico and Arizona. At this point, there is a circular plaque placed at the point where the four states meet and each quarter is labelling bed in direction with the state it coincides with. A bronze monument was erected at the geographical point to mark its location. Many tourists have visited the location, spending time and taking pictures. It is the only place where you can say you have stood in four states at the same time.

Just like Skylar, flipping the coin where four states meets, although can be done for a varying amount of reasons. It simply could be for the determination of the next tourist destination. Standing at this spot, you can flick a coin and choose to travel to which ever state it lands on. Considering the fact that there are four options, the process can also be done via an elimination method. Assigning two states first each and then pitting the winners against one another. Depending on where the coin lands, before leaving it is a great idea to take in the view the Four center tribal park offers. This includes buying crafts made by the Navajo tribe, exploring the monument Valley or simply getting on all fours so that each limb is in a different state.