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        riddles >> easy >> Marble jars
        
(Message started by: Ither on Jul 14th, 2006, 2:53am)
Title: Marble jars
Post by Ither on Jul 14th, 2006, 2:53am
The answer is likely to put all the white marbles in one jar while all the black marbles into another, therefore you get a 50\50 chance no matter what.
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by rmsgrey on Jul 15th, 2006, 9:39am
It's possible to do better
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by Aravis on Jul 17th, 2006, 6:41pm
hint:
[hide]you only need to pull one marble out of the jar[/hide]
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by arunachalam on Jul 18th, 2006, 6:05am
The Answer is 74/99 (Max Probability of his living)
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by arunachalam on Jul 18th, 2006, 7:17am
Sorry for saying how it is.. I just wanted u persons/ guys to verify that it is right?

Leave only one white marble in one of the jars and transfer the remaining and now calculating the probability , it is 74/99
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by towr on Jul 18th, 2006, 7:40am
Yes that is the correct answer. :)
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by vineet on May 23rd, 2007, 1:13am
Yes that is the correct answer !!
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by srn347 on Aug 28th, 2007, 4:47pm
A white marble in one jar, the other 99 marbles in the other jar. Infinitesimally less that 75%, infinitesimally more that 25%.
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by ThudanBlunder on Aug 28th, 2007, 4:53pm

on 08/28/07 at 16:47:04, srn347 wrote:
Infinitesimally less that 75%, infinitesimally more that 25%.

Is 396 the first transfinite number?   :P
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by srn347 on Aug 28th, 2007, 5:31pm
Transfinite?
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by ThudanBlunder on Aug 29th, 2007, 7:51am

on 08/28/07 at 17:31:34, srn347 wrote:
Transfinite?

When does less/more become 'infinitesimally less/more'?
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by srn347 on Aug 29th, 2007, 10:15am
In this case, it's when 74/99 is converted to a percentage. Multiply both sides by 100/99(or 1 1/99).
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by towr on Aug 29th, 2007, 10:32am
It's a very definite difference though, nothing infinitesimal about it.

75/100 - 74/99 = (99*75 - 74*100)/9900 = 1/396
1/396 is not infinitesimal by any stretch of the imagination.
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by srn347 on Aug 29th, 2007, 11:36am
Regardless of whether or not the repeating decimal is infinitesimal, you have almost 75% chance of living and slightly more than 25% chance of dying.
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by mikedagr8 on Aug 29th, 2007, 4:54pm

Quote:
Regardless of whether or not the repeating decimal is infinitesimal, you have almost 75% chance of living and slightly more than 25% chance of dying.


There is no decimal in 1/396. Just pointing out flaws you have stated so here, you better change this.

Also, for a realistic problem, the closest percentage is accepted, not the exact percentage. That is most commonly known as rounding.
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by srn347 on Aug 29th, 2007, 4:57pm
.0025252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525

looks like a decimal to me.
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by mikedagr8 on Aug 29th, 2007, 5:02pm
It looks like that when it is put into decimal form, but it is a lot clearer when left in the fraction, where there is no decimal. You needn't keep arguing. I'm not going to tolerate this. Listen to people on this site, they have a little more experience than you.
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by towr on Aug 30th, 2007, 1:08am

on 08/29/07 at 16:57:38, srn347 wrote:
.0025252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525252525

looks like a decimal to me.
That looks like a finite decimal, and it's not equal to 1/396
And even then, what does it have to do with anything?
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by FiBsTeR on Aug 31st, 2007, 2:51pm
It seems like all of the threads nowadays appear something like this:

------------------
Problem Explanation
------------------


Hints/Clues/Ideas


------------------
Solution
------------------










MINDLESS BICKERING











------------------
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by ThudanBlunder on Aug 31st, 2007, 3:00pm
Yeah, mikedagr8 ought to realize that discretion is the better part of valour.
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by mikedagr8 on Aug 31st, 2007, 4:14pm
I ought to? I do. Just it doesn't mean I follow the standard protocols. E.g. You know junk food is bad, yet you still eat it.
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by srn347 on Aug 31st, 2007, 11:37pm
They are equal. I checked on a calculator.
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by wvoigt on Sep 1st, 2007, 3:28am

on 08/31/07 at 23:37:50, srn347 wrote:
They are equal. I checked on a calculator.

Surely you are joking, Mr. srn347?
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by mikedagr8 on Sep 1st, 2007, 3:30am
Master, he's 13.
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by srn347 on Sep 1st, 2007, 9:37am
I'm not joking, and my name isn't surely(ok, now I'm joking).
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by towr on Sep 2nd, 2007, 7:00am

on 08/31/07 at 23:37:50, srn347 wrote:
They are equal. I checked on a calculator.
Calculators aren't very smart, you shouldn't trust them further than you can throw them; especially not after you've thrown them.

In any case, just because a calculator 'thinks' two values are the same, doesn't make them so. A calculator makes rounding errors.
Just take some (positive) number, do sqrt a hundred times, then do sqr a hundred times. Chances are you won't get the same number you started with, even though you should.
Title: Re: Marble jars
Post by towr on Sep 3rd, 2007, 1:34am
--meh--


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