A box contains 12 marbles of three different colors – Green, Yellow and Blue – 4 of each.

If you were to close your eyes and pick them at random, how many marbles must you take out to be sure that there are at least two of one color among the marbles picked out ?

This is but an extension of the black and white socks in a drawer requiring the least number to select a pair.

Posted by Brian Nowell on 2003-03-14 17:33:24