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Logic problem

GofG

Smash Champion
Joined
Jul 6, 2005
Messages
2,001
Location
Raleigh, NC
No googling!

You are on a game show. You are presented with three doors. Behind one is a car; behind the other two are donkeys.

You choose door #1.

The game show host offers to show you one of the doors with a donkey behind it; you accept. He opens door #2 and reveals a donkey.

The game show host offers you the chance to switch to door #3.

Do you take it? Why or why not?
 

GofG

Smash Champion
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Messages
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Raleigh, NC
Not necessarily. The car could be behind door #1 or #3. Does switching to door #3 improve your chances? Think about it.
 

Mini Mic

Taller than Mic_128
BRoomer
Joined
May 5, 2007
Messages
11,207
I seem to remember this from school, you're supposed to switch it because you initially had a 1/3 chance of getting it right but by the elimination of one door you now have a 2/3 chance, ergo changing increases the likelihood of success, right?
 

Mota

"The snake, knowing itself, strikes swiftly"
Joined
Jul 19, 2008
Messages
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Australia | Melb
LOL, I think I got it!

"Behind ONE is a car" I choose door one.
:laugh:

Simple enough
 

Mazaloth

Smash Ace
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
759
Coincidently this was in a book I read.

You have 2/3 chance of obtaining a car.

So yes, I would.

The curious incident of the dog in the night. Or something like that.
 

Overload

Smash Lord
Joined
Jul 7, 2008
Messages
1,531
Location
RI
Yes, this is from the movie 21. Like Mic128 said, you're supposed to switch because you now have a 1/2 chance of guessing correctly. I still don't see the point though, as each of the doors have a 1/2 chance of being the correct choice.
 

n88

Smash Lord
Joined
Oct 10, 2008
Messages
1,536
Do I get to keep whatever's behind the door? Otherwise I don't really care.
 

StealthyGunnar

Smash Champion
Joined
Jul 22, 2009
Messages
2,137
Location
West St. Paul, MN
Switch. You currently have a 33.33% chance to win. With the 2nd door being out, you now have 66.66% that door 3 will have the car. Thanks for the other 33.33%.
 

Limey

Smash Fan
BRoomer
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Oct 23, 2001
Messages
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Wales
I just read that wikipedia article on the thing. That's fascinating.
 

highfive

Smash Lord
Joined
Mar 22, 2009
Messages
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Location
Buhl, Idaho
it seems like switching wouldn't work in real life but there's the math to prove it. I would Imagine having that in your favor would work more or less 3/5 times right?
 

D20

Smash Lord
Joined
Mar 6, 2007
Messages
1,602
Location
Pittsburgh
The solution is difficult to explain. In fact, the solution is different depending on whether you are looking at the entire problem or not. Most people will just look at the second half, where there is a 50/50 chance of winning the car. They will then claim that the switch does not matter, which would be correct.

However, the problem did not begin with this such probability. At the start, there are 3 choices, thus a 1/3 chance of winning. That means the chances of losing are 2/3... which is significantly greater. When the host strikes one option after your initial choice, he is actually asking you "did you guess right or wrong?" Since you initially had a 2/3 chance of guessing wrong, you should assume you chose incorrectly and switch. Essentially, this creates a probability reversal. It affords you the 2/3 chance.
 

Teczer0

Research Assistant
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This messes with my head >.<

Really fun question though. I definitely thought at first that it didn't matter. I didn't think about how the first pick gave you some information or something to that extent... I think.
 

wool

Smash Ace
Joined
Jun 21, 2009
Messages
596
Location
Washington D.C.
Simple math proves that switching does help your chances...just take all of the cases and do it in your head. its really simple.

But thats assuming that the gameshow always shows you a donkey. If he actually points to a random door not knowing whether it is a donkey or not then switching or not switching doesn't matter.
 

Da Shuffla

Smash Lord
Joined
Aug 29, 2008
Messages
1,810
Truth. This problem works on the assumption that the first door you chose had the donkey. Therefore, the one left after one is taken out must be the car.
 

Overload

Smash Lord
Joined
Jul 7, 2008
Messages
1,531
Location
RI
The solution is difficult to explain. In fact, the solution is different depending on whether you are looking at the entire problem or not. Most people will just look at the second half, where there is a 50/50 chance of winning the car. They will then claim that the switch does not matter, which would be correct.

However, the problem did not begin with this such probability. At the start, there are 3 choices, thus a 1/3 chance of winning. That means the chances of losing are 2/3... which is significantly greater. When the host strikes one option after your initial choice, he is actually asking you "did you guess right or wrong?" Since you initially had a 2/3 chance of guessing wrong, you should assume you chose incorrectly and switch. Essentially, this creates a probability reversal. It affords you the 2/3 chance.

This clears things up.
 

Mewter

Smash Master
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
3,609
No googling!

You are on a game show. You are presented with three doors. Behind one is a car; behind the other two are donkeys.
This gave it all away. :laugh:
No, just kidding.
 

sammy p

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Location
good ole illinois
You are on a game show. You are presented with three doors. Behind one is a car; behind the other two are donkeys.
i figured it out!!! although im sure im not the first one....:embarrass
but i didnt read the other responses so its like i figured it out on myown right?? lol
 

½NIÇK½FBM

Smash Apprentice
Joined
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Messages
198
Location
Cigar City
In a village there is barber. This barber shaves those and only those who do not shave themselves.

Who shaves the barber?


First figure out the paradox, then figure out the answer. It took me about 30 minutes.
 

Jonkku

Lacks pick-up lines.
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Messages
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Duh.. There's another barber and they shave each other, quite obvious..
Took me ten seconds.
 

Mewter

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Messages
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In a village there is barber. This barber shaves those and only those who do not shave themselves.

Who shaves the barber?


First figure out the paradox, then figure out the answer. It took me about 30 minutes.
The people who do shave themselves shave the barber?
Are you sure you worded it correctly?:ohwell:
Lol, another barber.
 

½NIÇK½FBM

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Duh.. There's another barber and they shave each other, quite obvious..
Took me ten seconds.
HA! But if the barber doesnt shave himself that means he must shave himself because he only shaves people who DONT shave themselves!




Let me go inot more detail.......


"In a village there is barber. This barber shaves those and only those who do not shave themselves.

Who shaves the barber?"

You said theres another barber that shaves the original barber right? But in my statement I said the barber shaves those and only those who dont shave themselves. So if another barber shaves the original barber, that means the original barber doesnt shave himself so he is forced to shave himself.......
 

½NIÇK½FBM

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If the barbers wife shaves him that means he doesnt shave himself but he must shave those and only those who dont shave themselves.
 

Elder Sister

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in the bush next to your house
donkey thing was easy, knew the answer before even reading the question.
never understood it though:laugh:

@barber thing
is it stated that he must shave all those who dont shave themselves?
if not, then its obvious....
 

Jonkku

Lacks pick-up lines.
Joined
Jun 23, 2006
Messages
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Well, he clones himself and then shaves the clone and vice versa, they're technically the same person, but some would say that they are different people.
[/random-theory]

And yeah, your didn't mention at first that he's forced to shave everyone who doesn't shave themselves..
 

Moy

Where's the coffee cake?
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Slippi.gg
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Riding a donkey as your main mode of transportation would be creative, so you really can't lose.

And naming a donkey isn't as weird as naming a car.
 

Hydra.

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Aqua.Sword
Ah this is hurting my brain! But I wouldn't switch because I would feel like he was trying to get me off of the winning door or something.
 

Mr.Lombardi34

Smash Ace
Joined
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Messages
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Swimmin' in a fish bowl, year after year
You pick a door. There are two doors left. There's a 2/3 chance that one of the other two contains the car. One of the other two is eliminated, therefor the remaining one has a 2/3 chance of winning while the one you picked only has 1/3.

...Just switch, you don't have to understand it
 
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