Monty Hall Problem - But with 4 doors and two opportunities to switch

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on a variation of the Monty Hall problem involving four doors, one car, and three goats. After selecting a door, the host reveals a joke door, allowing the player to switch to one of the remaining two doors. The probability analysis indicates that the initially selected door has a 1/4 chance of hiding the car, while the remaining door has a 3/4 chance. The conclusion is that switching doors after the second reveal increases the likelihood of winning the car.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the Monty Hall problem
  • Basic probability theory
  • Familiarity with Python programming
  • Knowledge of random number generation
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  • Research advanced probability concepts related to the Monty Hall problem
  • Learn about simulations in Python using the random module
  • Explore variations of the Monty Hall problem with different numbers of doors
  • Investigate decision theory and its applications in game theory
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This discussion is beneficial for mathematicians, game theorists, programmers interested in probability simulations, and anyone looking to deepen their understanding of decision-making strategies in probabilistic scenarios.

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I had a question regarding a variation of the infamous Monty Hall problem. Assume four doors instead of the standard three. There is still one car and three goats, and of course the objective is to select the door with the highest probability that it is hiding a car.

You select a door. The game host reveals a joke door. You are given the opportunity to switch your selection to one of the remaining two doors. The game host then reveals a second joke door. You are given another opportunity to switch doors. Should you do it?

I think yes - regardless of the decision of your first selection, by the time of the second selection two doors have been revealed and only your selection and a final door remain. If I understand the probability correctly the door you have selected has a 1/4 probability of hiding a car. The remaining door has a 3/4 probability of hiding the car. But does the intermediate selection somehow effect this problem in a manner I have yet to recognize?
 
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Finding out is a doddle.


Code:
import random
hist = {'won':0, 'lost':0}
for i in range(10000):
  game = ['c','g','g','g']
  p = game.pop(random.choice(range(4)))
  game.remove('g')
  game.remove('g')
  # always switch
  p = random.choice(game)
  if p == 'c':
    hist['won'] += 1
  else:
    hist['lost'] += 1
print(hist)

## trial run
##  {'won': 7527, 'lost': 2473}
 

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