During the spring of 2022, every student in New York will be given a computer generated lottery number. A good lottery number can make a big difference in your odds of getting into your dream school.
The Department of Education (DOE) was not going to hand out these numbers, so a group of parents launched a campaign in the hopes of obtaining them through the Freedom of Information Law. They succeeded in getting some information, including an explanation of the lottery’s most interesting feature. However, the actual numbers were more opaque.
The most interesting feature is the “multinomial” number function, which is a fancy name for a complicated mathematical formula. The formula produces a random set of numbers. These numbers are then compared in a left to right fashion, increasing in order.
This process is the only way to ensure that you are going to win the jackpot. There are several methods available, but the hypergeometric distribution, or the HGD, is the best bet.
The best way to win the lottery is to make sure you buy a ticket for every combination of numbers you are going to use. A “long shot” pick will likely have you sharing the prize with a handful of other winners, whereas a “short shot” pick may not require that much effort on your part.
The best lottery numbers are the ones that are least likely to be drawn. This means that if you aren’t going to be lucky enough to win the big prize, you’re likely to be assigned to a school with a smaller lottery number.