For example, you could encode your password into 10 chunks and require that at least 5 chunks be presented together to recover the secret. Any 5 chunks of the 10 (in this example) could be used, but it is mathematically impossible to recover the secret with just 4 or fewer of the chunks (in this example). Thus, you could spread those 10 chunks among 10 trusted friends, the idea being that they would recombine the chunks only in the event of your death. Moreover, if you are not yet dead, at least five of your trusted friends (again, in this example) would need to betray you for your secret to be stolen.