Cexy
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Only if you 'lame' you mean 'correct'alfredblase said:no, your argument is lame
This is a version of the Monty Hall problem, explained here:
http://www.comedia.com/hot/monty.html
Only if you 'lame' you mean 'correct'alfredblase said:no, your argument is lame
Joffe said:The guy who asked the question differs from the other because he was not involved in the selection.
int main() {
int a, b, n;
int data[3];
int asum = 0, osum = 0;
#define size 1000
for (b = 0; b < size; b++) {
for (a = 0; a < 3; a++)
data[a] = 0;
for (a = 0; a < 2; a++)
do {
n = (int)(rand() * 2);
} while (data[n] = 1)
osum += (data[2] == 1) ? data[1] : data[2];
aSum += data[0]
}
printf("Asker chance: %f, other chance: %f\n", asum, osum)
return 0;
}
But, surely you have to trust Marilyn Mach vos Savant! She holds the record for the highest IQ score, ever.alfredblase said:bah not convinced, I trust my argument and the judgment of Alkatran over yours, Joffe's and that random webpage. I sahll repeat my argument for the readers benefit.
I don't really understand what those 1's and 0's are supposed to represent and I don't know what exactly you mean by 'succeed' and 'fail', but in any event I believe you are mistaken. Monty will never open a door that contains the prize, and he can't change where it is. Surely you agree that the odds of the player chosing the prize on the first try are 1/3. Clearly whatever anybody does after that can not affect the fact that there was a 1/3 chance that the prize was behind that door.alfredblase said:Ok I read a few of those sites, I can see the argument but I disagree with it. And you can't argue that someone wrote a program "proving" anything. The program is based on your understanding of the problem. If you have a preconcieved way of setting up the problem in programing language, then of course the program will give you the answer you imagined it would. I think one of the links from the wikipedia article you gave me, although arguing against my opinion, illustrates how a reasonable argument could be set up arguing for my point of view.
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/nfold/monty.html
This is my version of his over easy proof. The player chooses A at first.
.....A...B...C
case 1...0...(0...1)
case 2...0...(1...0)
case 3...1...(0...0)
case 4...1...(0...0)
case 1: Monty opens B, switch succeeds
case 2: Monty opens C, switch succeeds
case 3: Monty opens B, switch fails
case 4: Monty opens C, switch fails
In two out of the four cases the switch succeeds, and in 2/4 cases the switch fails. So there.
Actually, that is not true. The only way to know for sure is to come up with a mathematical proof. There is always a finite probability that that statistical data are misleading you when you carry out a process a finite number of times. The probability may get very small that you are being mislead, but you will never know for certain.alfredblase said:Anyway, the ONLY way to really know for sure is to carry out an EXPERIMENT like physicists do. Not using a computer program but setting up the scenario physically say 1000 times and seeing the results. I still can't see how my experiment wasn't ok; I think you misunderstood what I wrote or something... it seems perfectly simple to me.
alfredblase said:Ok I read a few of those sites, I can see the argument but I disagree with it. And you can't argue that someone wrote a program "proving" anything. The program is based on your understanding of the problem. If you have a preconcieved way of setting up the problem in programing language, then of course the program will give you the answer you imagined it would.
...
Anyway, the ONLY way to really know for sure is to carry out an EXPERIMENT like physicists do. Not using a computer program but setting up the scenario physically say 1000 times and seeing the results. I still can't see how my experiment wasn't ok; I think you misunderstood what I wrote or something... it seems perfectly simple to me.
.....A...B...C
case 1...0...(0...1)
case 2...0...(1...0)
case 3...1...(0...0)
case 4...1...(0...0)
case 1: Monty opens B, switch succeeds
case 2: Monty opens C, switch succeeds
case 3: Monty opens B, switch fails
case 4: Monty opens C, switch fails
In two out of the four cases the switch succeeds, and in 2/4 cases the switch fails. So there.
I mean FGS! if someone offers you a choice between two doors (that is what is done when you are offered the chance to switch), one of which hides a goat and the other a car what are the chances you will make the right decision??! COME ON people!
ok guys and gals, I am going to bow down. I like Galileo's explanation and it sounds very reasonable and simple to me. Since his reasoning, as far as I can percieve, is at least as valid as mine, and since I have trustworthy accounts from trustworthy sources that there is overwhelming experimental evidence in the form of computer program code and readouts, I will accept the very high probabilty that my experiment was faulty, and that the orthodox arguments are correct. This also means that I have realized that an unbiased program can reproduce the real thing (in terms of statistics).Your experiment wasn't okay because you didn't account for the fact that the guard will NEVER choose the guy who is innocent, even if it isn't the main guy. You just chose at random.
Number Lover said:I remember hearing a story on another forum at one point where a high school math club of some sort made t-shirts which imitated the anti-drug commercials. Here's the design: http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/6195/integrals9tr6uo.jpg
I found it extremely funny the first time I saw it. :)
BSMSMSTMSPHD said:Here's one that we actually saw in a pre-calculus class.
Upon learning that <br /> \lim_{x\rightarrow 8} <br /> \frac{1}{(x-8)^2}<br /> = \infty<br />
the class was asked to consider <br /> \lim_{x\rightarrow 3} <br /> \frac{1}{(x-3)^2}<br />.
One student raised his hand and said, "m".
Of course, I guess the answer could also be "\omega"
Originally Posted by rhj23
if it was intended to be an omega that's pretty clever..
Two mathematicians are in a bar. The first one
says to the second that the average person
knows very little about basic mathematics.
The second one disagrees, and claims that most
people can cope with a reasonable amount
of mathematics.
The first mathematician goes off to the washroom,
and in his absence the second calls over the waitress.
He tells her that in a few minutes, after his friend has
returned, he will call her over and ask her a question.
All she has to do is answer "one third x cubed."
She repeats "one thir -- dex cue"?
He repeats, "one third x cubed".
She asks, "one thir dex cubed?"
"Yes, that's right," he says.
So she agrees, and goes off mumbling to herself,
"one thir dex cubed...".
The first guy returns and the second proposes a bet
to prove his point, that most people do know something
about basic mathematics. He says he will ask the blonde waitress
an integral, and the first laughingly agrees. The second man
calls over the waitress and asks "what is the integral of x squared?".
The waitress says "one third x cubed" and whilst walking away,
turns back and says over her shoulder "plus a constant!"
tony873004 said:What's the square root of 69?
8-something.
i didn't get it.tony873004 said:What's the square root of 69?
8-something.
tony873004 said:What's the square root of 69?
SigmaTheAtheist said:When my physics professor makes a simple math error he likes to comment, "There are three kinds of physicists, those that can count and those that can't."
lol. great joke.Office_Shredder said:There are 10 types of people: Those who know trinary, those who don't, and those who think I just screwed up a binary joke