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M3
Lv 7
M3 asked in Science & MathematicsMathematics · 9 years ago

drunk passenger probability variant?

An aeroplane with 100 seats has passengers lined up in order, for boarding from seat #1 to #100. However, the first passenger is drunk, and will take any of the seats at random. All other passengers will take their own seat if it is vacant, or else take another seat at random.

What is the probability that the 50th passenger will get seat #50 ?

1 Answer

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  • 9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Consider seats 1 and 50 up to 100. That's 52 seats

    While seating the 49 first passengers exactly one of these seats is taken. Indeed as soon as such is the case all subsequent passengers till 49 will find their seats free.

    So one out of these 52 seats is taken when the turn of passenger 50 comes. Hence his seat is taken with probability 1 / 52 and free with probability 51 / 52.

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