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Gambling at Monte Carlo
A man went to Monte Carlo to try and make his fortune. Is his strategy a winning one?
Marbles and Bags
Two bags contain different numbers of red and blue marbles. A marble is removed from one of the bags. The marble is blue. What is the probability that it was removed from bag A?
Coin Tossing Games
You and I play a game involving successive throws of a fair coin. Suppose I pick HH and you pick TH. The coin is thrown repeatedly until we see either two heads in a row (I win) or a tail followed by a head (you win). What is the probability that you win?
Age 14 to 16 Short
Challenge Level
3 tiles with the letter X on them and 3 tiles with the letter O on them are placed in a row. The order is chosen at random. What is the probability that no two adjacent tiles have the same letter on them?
This problem is adapted from the World Mathematics Championships
You can find more short problems, arranged by curriculum topic, in our short problems collection.
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NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.