TV Show (D5)
The host of the show pointed at three doors. He claimed that, behind one of
the doors, a brand new sportscar was awaiting a lucky winner. The other two
doors, he warned, did not lead to any prize.
The contestant picked the first door as his guess. At that point, the host
walked to the third door and opened it. The door led to no prize, which is something
the host knew perfectly well. He then gave the chance to the contestant to switch
and pick the second door, if he so wished, or to stick to his first choice and
stay with the first door.
Did the contestant have a greater chance of winning the car, by sticking with
the 1st door, or by switching to the 2nd door? Or were the chances equal?
[Solution]
Notes: The contestant knew three things: first, that the host doesn't want him
to win; second, that the host was going to open one of the doors; and third,
that the host would never open the door picked by the contestant himself...
regardless of where the prize really is. |