Author: Bruce Moreland
Date: 18:08:29 08/16/98
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On August 16, 1998 at 15:49:14, fca wrote: >On August 15, 1998 at 22:14:04, Bruce Moreland wrote: >>Describe a method wherein with nothing more than a single ordinary coin you can >>generate a probability of exactly 1/3. >So, here is your answer (the "simplest" I see from an infinity of answers). > >1. As a trial, take the said ordinary coin and flip it twice. Look at the >result. >2. If it is TT, disregard the trial altogether. It does not count as a trial >for any purpose. Goto 1. >3. If the result of the trial is HH, score 1 for the trial, else score 0. >Increment the trial counter by 1. >4. Goto 1 unless the trial counter has reached a suitably large number of your >choosing. >5. Divide the total score by the trial counter, and compare with 1/3. >6. And if the answer is not very close to 1/3, your large-enough number wasn't >large-enough! How about this. I will call a "failure" a case where you are in the 2/3 region, and a success a case where you are in the 1/3 region. 1. Flip the coin. Heads is a failure, done. 2. Flip the coin. Heads is a success, done. 3. Back to 1. bruce
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