Fact #1: Plain M&Ms™ are my candy of choice (aside from Junior Mints™, which by a happy quirk of fate are made right in my neighborhood. But I digress.).
Fact #2: Call me crazy, call me borderline-OCD, but I like to eat my M&Ms™ by color.*
Fact #3: Although the reported distribution has since changed, in 2000-2001 Mars, Inc. claimed that the colors in a bag of plain (excuse me, "milk chocolate") M&Ms™ were distributed as follows:
This was clearly specious. I decided to conduct a rigorous empirical observation to satisfy myself as to the real statistics.
Methodology: Each sample consisted of one (1) standard 1.69 oz/47.9g bag of plain M&Ms™. Samples were taken at random over a period of 365 days. Recorded percentages have been rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent.
| How many of each color? | |||||||||||||
| Date | Brown | Yellow | Green | Orange | Red | Blue | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7/24/2000 | 22 | 37.9% | 17 | 29.3% | 6 | 10.3% | 5 | 8.6% | 6 | 10.3% | 2 | 3.4% | 58 |
| 7/25/2000 | 14 | 25.5% | 14 | 25.5% | 6 | 10.9% | 9 | 16.4% | 9 | 16.4% | 3 | 5.2% | 55 |
| 7/26/2000 | 10 | 18.2% | 17 | 30.9% | 8 | 14.5% | 2 | 3.6% | 10 | 18.2% | 8 | 14.5% | 55 |
| 7/27/2000 | 15 | 26.3% | 11 | 19.3% | 9 | 15.8% | 7 | 12.3% | 9 | 15.8% | 6 | 10.5% | 57 |
| 7/28/2000 | 20 | 36.4% | 10 | 18.2% | 6 | 10.9% | 5 | 9.1% | 8 | 14.5% | 6 | 10.9% | 55 |
| 8/7/2000 | 21 | 38.2% | 7 | 12.7% | 7 | 12.7% | 3 | 5.5% | 13 | 23.6% | 4 | 7.3% | 55 |
| 8/14/2000 | 20 | 37.0% | 10 | 18.2% | 3 | 5.6% | 6 | 11.1% | 10 | 18.5% | 5 | 9.3% | 54 |
| 8/22/2000 | 15 | 27.3% | 10 | 18.2% | 6 | 10.9% | 7 | 12.7% | 15 | 27.3% | 2 | 3.6% | 55 |
| 8/23/2000 | 21 | 38.2% | 9 | 16.4% | 0 | 0% | 9 | 16.4% | 13 | 23.6% | 3 | 5.5% | 55 |
| 8/24/2000 | 26 | 46.4% | 12 | 21.4% | 3 | 5.4% | 2 | 3.6% | 13 | 23.2% | 0 | 0% | 56 |
| 10/5/2000 1 | 11 | 19.6% | 5 | 8.9% | 10 | 17.9% | 7 | 12.5% | 11 | 19.6% | 12 | 21.4% | 56 |
| 10/5/2000 | 16 | 29.6% | 7 | 13.0% | 11 | 20.4% | 5 | 9.3% | 14 | 25.9% | 1 | 1.9% | 54 |
| 11/8/2000 | 17 | 30.4% | 11 | 19.6% | 5 | 8.9% | 4 | 7.1% | 13 | 23.2% | 6 | 10.7% | 56 |
| 11/9/2000 | 25 | 4.6% | 5 | 8.9% | 4 | 7.1% | 6 | 10.7% | 14 | 25.0% | 2 | 3.6% | 56 |
| 11/20/2000 2 | 15 | 27.8% | 12 | 22.2% | 4 | 7.4% | 5 | 9.3% | 11 | 20.4% | 7 | 13.0% | 54 |
| 1/29/2001 | 13 | 23.6% | 2 | 3.6% | 11 | 20.0% | 6 | 10.9% | 10 | 18.2% | 13 | 23.6% | 55 |
| 1/31/2001 | 19 | 35.8% | 11 | 20.8% | 5 | 9.4% | 6 | 11.3% | 9 | 17.0% | 3 | 5.7% | 53 |
| 2/9/2001 | 14 | 25.9% | 8 | 14.8% | 5 | 9.3% | 11 | 20.4% | 11 | 20.4% | 5 | 9.3% | 54 |
| 2/14/2001 | 18 | 32.7% | 9 | 16.4% | 4 | 7.3% | 6 | 10.9% | 11 | 20.0% | 7 | 12.7% | 55 |
| 2/21/2001 | 18 | 32.1% | 11 | 19.6% | 8 | 14.3% | 2 | 3.6% | 11 | 19.6% | 6 | 10.7% | 56 |
| 2/23/2001 | 20 | 35.7% | 10 | 17.9% | 6 | 10.7% | 4 | 7.1% | 10 | 17.9% | 6 | 10.7% | 56 |
| 2/26/2001 | 19 | 34.5% | 7 | 12.7% | 7 | 12.7% | 6 | 10.9% | 13 | 23.6% | 3 | 5.5% | 55 |
| 3/21/2001 | 20 | 35.7% | 11 | 19.6% | 3 | 5.4% | 5 | 8.9% | 15 | 26.8% | 2 | 3.6% | 56 |
| 4/6/2001 | 24 | 42.1% | 16 | 28.1% | 3 | 5.3% | 5 | 8.8% | 6 | 10.5% | 3 | 5.3% | 57 |
| 5/23/2001 | 20 | 35.1% | 10 | 17.5% | 6 | 10.5% | 3 | 5.3% | 15 | 26.3% | 3 | 5.3% | 57 |
| 6/11/2001 | 21 | 37.5% | 5 | 8.9% | 11 | 19.6% | 5 | 8.9% | 11 | 19.6% | 3 | 5.4% | 56 |
| 7/16/2001 | 14 | 25.9% | 5 | 9.3% | 9 | 16.7% | 11 | 20.4% | 12 | 22.2% | 3 | 5.6% | 54 |
| 7/24/2001 | 12 | 21.1% | 9 | 15.8% | 9 | 15.8% | 13 | 22.8% | 10 | 17.5% | 4 | 7.0% | 57 |
| Cumulative Total & Average Percentage |
500 | 32.2% | 271 | 17.5% | 175 | 11.3% | 165 | 10.6% | 313 | 20.2% | 128 | 8.2% | 1,552 |
| Theoretical Percentage | 30 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 10 | |||||||
Conclusions: Well, what do you know. They're not as far wrong as I originally thought from examining one bag at a time. Which goes to show the power of the sampling error. When I learn something about statistics, maybe I'll get into the mathematical analysis of this set of data, but for now, let's leave that as an exercise for the reader.
Q: What do you get when you combine one bag of
M&Ms™ with one bag of Skittles™?
A: S&M's! HAHAHA!