Put one white token in one container and 49 white and 50 black in the other.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill L" <pythias@pacifier.com>
To: "Spridgets" <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 1:38 AM
Subject: My Daughter (NO LBC)
Hello Spridgets,
i just have to brag on my daughter...
she has been accepted to the summer mathematic program at the U of
Washington... they take only 24 high schoolstudents total from WA, OR,
ID, BC, and Alaska. they are given a problem sheet to solve..
among the problems is the following.....
ALL EXPENSES PAID, SIX week program!
You are given 50 black tokens and 50 white tokens, which you are free to
place in two identical
containers in any way you wish, with each container containing as many
tokens of each color as you
decide. After you distribute the tokens, you will be blindfolded, then asked
to choose one of the two
containers and draw a single token from the chosen container. If you draw a
white token, you will win
$10; 000, but if you draw a black token, you will win nothing. How should
you distribute the tokens in
order to maximize the probability that you draw a white token? Give a full
explanation of your answer
she figured out how to increase her chances from 50/50 to almost 75%!
(solution on request...) for more information for those interested..
http://www.math.washington.edu/~simuw/2006/index.html..
and have a look at ALL the problems... ...
she's only 16 years old, (17 in a month...) and will be a senior next
year!
WOW!
--
Best regards,
Bill mailto:pythias@pacifier.com
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