All about flooble | fun stuff | Get a free chatterbox | Free JavaScript | Avatars    
perplexus dot info

Home > Probability
Don't Be a Square (Posted on 2003-05-19) Difficulty: 4 of 5
Given n points drawn randomly on the circumference of a circle, what is the probability they will all be within any common semicircle?

See The Solution Submitted by DJ    
Rating: 4.4667 (15 votes)

Comments: ( Back to comment list | You must be logged in to post comments.)
re: Am I correct in saying this | Comment 12 of 21 |
(In reply to Am I correct in saying this by sendil)

The second point might be less than 180 degrees from the first. Say it's 50 degrees away from the first. Then an entire span of 360 - 50 = 310 is OK to continue within one semicircle (the central 50 degrees plus 130 degrees on either side). So the probability depends on the whole probability distribution of the previous number of points, and after the third point plotted, the distribution is not even uniform.
  Posted by Charlie on 2003-05-20 04:53:19

Please log in:
Login:
Password:
Remember me:
Sign up! | Forgot password


Search:
Search body:
Forums (0)
Newest Problems
Random Problem
FAQ | About This Site
Site Statistics
New Comments (12)
Unsolved Problems
Top Rated Problems
This month's top
Most Commented On

Chatterbox:
Copyright © 2002 - 2024 by Animus Pactum Consulting. All rights reserved. Privacy Information