[d20] What don't you know? (free pdf books)

[Psion]

Here's how I got this "paradox": think of what Monty the dragon is doing when he is revealing a door. He will select a door with a goat or some other worthless doodad. So, as the wiki pages say, there are three possible scenarios if you switch:

1. The contestant picks goat number one. Monty picks goat number two. Switching will win the car.
2. The contestant picks goat number two. Monty picks goat number one. Switching will win the car.
3. The contestant picks the car. Monty picks either of the two goats. Switching will lose.

Three scenarios, one outcome.

If you do not switch, your odds to win are the precise same as if monty had never told you. 1/3.

By switching, the only chance you will lose is exactly the chance that you picked the right door in the first place (1/3).

 

[TheLe]

New Quiz!

Yes Yes. Fantastic job with the proofs folks. Indeed, it is always better to switch doors.

Let's get back on track with a NEW QUIZ! Prize is a free PDF of your choice (see first post). This week's winners are not eligeable for this quiz (please give others a chance to win my fine books)

[imager]http://www.thele.com/thelegames/images/html/quiz.gif[/imager]On to the Quiz!
Please calculate the following mathematical problem and give me the correct answer:

{Total number of Backstreet Boys
x Total Number of Jedi's named "Mace Windu"
x Total number of Tim Burton directed Batman movies}
/ {number of Best Picture grammy awards that "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" won
x total number of theatrical Star Trek movies}

Hint 1: "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" won 1 "Best Picture" award.
Hint 2: There are 5 members of Backstreet Boys


THE LE GAMES - WE ENHANCE WORLDS

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Here's how I got this "paradox": think of what Monty the dragon is doing when he is revealing a door. He will select a door with a goat or some other worthless doodad. So, as the wiki pages say, there are three possible scenarios if you switch:

1. The contestant picks goat number one. Monty picks goat number two. Switching will win the car.
2. The contestant picks goat number two. Monty picks goat number one. Switching will win the car.
3. The contestant picks the car. Monty picks either of the two goats. Switching will lose.

Three scenarios, one outcome.

If you do not switch, your odds to win are the precise same as if monty had never told you. 1/3.

By switching, the only chance you will lose is exactly the chance that you picked the right door in the first place (1/3).

Oh come on! We all know that the PC is going to die no matter which door he chooses, don't we?

More seriously - Look at what the dragon says - he does not say that the door with the artifact will not kill you! For that matter, he does not say that all the doors have anything behind them, so you open the door, find an empty closet and live, or open either of the others and die, possibly because the artifact is aimed straight at the door...

The Auld Grump

 

[Romnipotent]

42! but then again it could be something else I dont know star trek that well, and the answers always 42....
5x1
x2
/0
x10

0 for a inability to devide by 0
or 100 if you ignore it

The film didn't win a Best Picture Grammy

 

[Tinner]

5 = {Total number of Backstreet Boys
1 = x Total Number of Jedi's named "Mace Windu"
2 = x Total number of Tim Burton directed Batman movies}
0 or 1 = / {number of Best Picture grammy awards that "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" won
10 = x total number of theatrical Star Trek movies}

The correct answer is either Null, or 100 as near as I can figure it out.
Technically, there is no best picture "grammy" award, however, it is also impossible to divide by zero. The answer then is null.
However, LotR:RotK did win a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media

Which is just vague enough that it might qualify. If you count that, then the answer is 100.

 

[Wystan]

[sblock]The answer appears to be 1.

5 = Backstreet Boys
1 = Mace Windu
2 = Tim Burton Bat Man Films
/
1 = Best Picture Grammy (as given)
10 = Star Trek Movies (Theatrical Release)

so 10/10 = 1
[/sblock]
Please give the prize to someone....

 

[Kae'Yoss]

5 = {Total number of Backstreet Boys
1 = x Total Number of Jedi's named "Mace Windu"
2 = x Total number of Tim Burton directed Batman movies}
0 or 1 = / {number of Best Picture grammy awards that "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" won
10 = x total number of theatrical Star Trek movies}

The correct answer is either Null, or 100 as near as I can figure it out.
Technically, there is no best picture "grammy" award, however, it is also impossible to divide by zero. The answer then is null.

Null is not correct. If we do have 10/0 there, there is no answer, or rather, the answer is "undefined".

 

[TheLe]

Winner!!

5 = {Total number of Backstreet Boys
1 = x Total Number of Jedi's named "Mace Windu"
2 = x Total number of Tim Burton directed Batman movies}
0 or 1 = / {number of Best Picture grammy awards that "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" won
10 = x total number of theatrical Star Trek movies}

Technically, there is no best picture "grammy" award, however, it is also impossible to divide by zero. The answer then is null.

Whoohoo! That is correct! It's true, you cannot divide anything by 0 (except another 0, go fig). I would have also accepted "Undetermined," "Undefined" or something simular.

My hint was correct, ROTK did win 1 Best Picture award, but that was an OSCAR award, not a grammy award. The hints were true, but designed to throw you off a bit.

Romnipotent, I am sorry, but I cannot award you the prize, because the answer is not 0. But you were really close.

Tinner gets the prize since he is close enough, and I already sent you the congrats email.

Kae'Yoss, your answer is technically the true correct answer, so I am giving you prize too.

Congrats to Tinner and Kae'Yoss!

I have emailed both of you already. Let me know the free pdf that you choose, and I will fire it off to you! Congrats!

No more quizzes until next week folks! Thanks for playing!

(I am glad you are all having fun with this!)

~Le

 

[fafhrd]

[hijack]Sorry to bring this up again, but it's bugging me. The dragon restates the problem:

The Dragon continues, "The Artifact is behind one of the unopened doors. You now have a choice. You may keep the unopened door that you have chosen, or you can switch to this last unopened door. Choose wisely."

I would think that the probability would be resorted and thus 50/50 for the other, unchosen door.

 

[reveal]

[hijack]Sorry to bring this up again, but it's bugging me. The dragon restates the problem:



I would think that the probability would be resorted and thus 50/50 for the other, unchosen door.

It's all statistics. No matter how you want to think about it, it's still 33% on one and 66% on the other. This has been argued to death (I first saw the Monte Hall/Let's Make a Deal conundrum in 1998). There's no point in arguing because it's all been done before and no one has changed their mind.