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Completing a World Cup sticker album 'could cost £450'

New research by two mathematicians from Switzerland revealed what they claim to be the true cost of completing a football sticker album for the 2014 World Cup.

The mathematicians looked at the number of stickers needed to complete the Panini 2014 sticker album: 640. At 50p a pack, if there were no doubles or duplicates, the outlay needed to complete the album would be £63.99. But based on mathematical probabilities, the experts claimed that in fact 899 packs would need to be purchased, costing £449.50.

Andrew Palmer from The Economist looked at the research and explained how it works.

This clip is originally from Phil Williams on 3 May.

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