Jennifer was selected to be on the popular TV game show "Whatchya Gonna Do?". As she jumped up and down in excitement, the host, Monty Barker, showed her three doors.
"Now, Jennifer, behind one of these doors I have personally placed a brand new Jaguar XJS"
"Eeeeeeee!", Jennifer squealed in delight.
"But", continued MB, "behind the other two doors, there are goats! Select a door and the prize behind it is yours. Which shall it be: Door #1?".
"Oh-oh-oh-oh", Jenny jumped.
"Door #2?"
"Ah-ah-ah-ah"
or "Door #3?"
"Um-um-um-um....well...ah...okay - TWO! I choose Door #2". The audience cheers.
"Door #2. Okay Jennifer", says the host, "but before we show you what's behind Door #2, let me tell you that I am glad you did not pick Door #1, because behind Door #1 is..." The first door swings open to reveal a shabby looking goat. Jenny bounces around the stage in joy because she was thinking of picking that door.
"Ah, but the name of the game is 'Watchya Gonna Do?'. You picked Door #2, but there is still Door #3. I'm going to offer you a choice: either you can keep the door you picked, Door #2, and if the car is behind it, I'll throw in a dinner for two at the Hoi Poloi Restaurant..." The audience gives a collective "oooooo" (who wouldn't want to eat at the exclusive Hoi Poloi?)
"... or you can trade it for what's behind Door #3 - AND if it is the car, I'll throw in a year's supply of Platypus Wax! Tell us about the Platypus Wax, Joe"
Joe's voiceover proceeds to tell us all about the wonders of using Platypus Wax on a Jaguar. As he drones on, Jennifer is nervously trying to decide. Until, MB spins around, points to her, and says (with the audience chorusing behind him)
"What - Chya - Gon - Na - Do?"
Should Jennifer stay with her original choice (Door #2), switch to Door #3, or does it make any difference?
Assume the dinner at the High Poloi and the Platypus Wax are worth about the same dollar amount.
Aaaaaaand, before any of you wise-acres start, Jennifer lives in Toronto - the Jaguar is of far more use to her than the goat.
Jennifer should switch. Contrary to what may seem intuitive, switching actually doubles her chances of winning the car.
This problem is just a re-wording of what is known as the Monty Hall Problem. The key to understanding it is that the host knows the locations of the car and goats. His knowledge changes his actions and thus affects the odds.
Here is a breakdown of all the possible scenarios that Jennifer faces and why Jennifer should switch:
Door #2 has goat B (probability 1:3) - MB shows goat A behind Door #1 (1:1) - the car is behind Door #3 (1:1) - switching wins the car - total chances (1:3 x 1:1 x 1:1 = 1:3)[/*:m:6a353]
Door #2 has the car (probability 1:3) - MB shows goat A behind Door #1 (1:2) - goat B is behind Door #3 (1:1) - not switching wins the car - total chances (1:3 x 1:2 x 1:1 = 1:6)[/*:m:6a353]
Door #2 has the car (probability 1:3) - MB shows goat B behind Door #1 (1:2) - goat A is behind Door #3 (1:1) - not switching wins the car - total chances (1:3 x 1:2 x 1:1 = 1:6)[/*:m:6a353]
There are (1:3 + 1:3 = 2:3) chances that switching will get Jennifer the car, and only (1:6 + 1:6 = 1:3) chances she would get the car by not switching. She should switch.
A more general presentation of the reasoning is this:
At the start of the game, there is a 2:3 chance that Jennifer will pick a door with a goat behind it. If she does, the host will reveal the other other goat, and switching doors will get Jennifer the car.
There is a 1:3 chance she will pick the car. The host will then reveal a goat. Switching would win Jennifer a good supply of Ch?vre (and the disdain of her neighbours).
So, 2 out of 3 times switching gets the car. Simple - unintuitive, but simple.
Why does the host's knowledge change the odds. Because he does not randomly select a door to open - he always opens a door with a goat. By doing this he reduced the possible scenarios for Jennifer to the four listed above. If he randomly picked, then Jenny's chances, if the show progressed as presented, would be 50/50. However, there would also be a 1:3 chance that MB would open the wrong door and reveal the car's location (followed by a 1:1 chance that MB would be sacked and re-runs of McGyver would fill out the remainder of the season!)
Question
Guest
Jennifer was selected to be on the popular TV game show "Whatchya Gonna Do?". As she jumped up and down in excitement, the host, Monty Barker, showed her three doors.
"Now, Jennifer, behind one of these doors I have personally placed a brand new Jaguar XJS"
"Eeeeeeee!", Jennifer squealed in delight.
"But", continued MB, "behind the other two doors, there are goats! Select a door and the prize behind it is yours. Which shall it be: Door #1?".
"Oh-oh-oh-oh", Jenny jumped.
"Door #2?"
"Ah-ah-ah-ah"
or "Door #3?"
"Um-um-um-um....well...ah...okay - TWO! I choose Door #2". The audience cheers.
"Door #2. Okay Jennifer", says the host, "but before we show you what's behind Door #2, let me tell you that I am glad you did not pick Door #1, because behind Door #1 is..." The first door swings open to reveal a shabby looking goat. Jenny bounces around the stage in joy because she was thinking of picking that door.
"Ah, but the name of the game is 'Watchya Gonna Do?'. You picked Door #2, but there is still Door #3. I'm going to offer you a choice: either you can keep the door you picked, Door #2, and if the car is behind it, I'll throw in a dinner for two at the Hoi Poloi Restaurant..." The audience gives a collective "oooooo" (who wouldn't want to eat at the exclusive Hoi Poloi?)
"... or you can trade it for what's behind Door #3 - AND if it is the car, I'll throw in a year's supply of Platypus Wax! Tell us about the Platypus Wax, Joe"
Joe's voiceover proceeds to tell us all about the wonders of using Platypus Wax on a Jaguar. As he drones on, Jennifer is nervously trying to decide. Until, MB spins around, points to her, and says (with the audience chorusing behind him)
"What - Chya - Gon - Na - Do?"
Should Jennifer stay with her original choice (Door #2), switch to Door #3, or does it make any difference?
Assume the dinner at the High Poloi and the Platypus Wax are worth about the same dollar amount.
Aaaaaaand, before any of you wise-acres start, Jennifer lives in Toronto - the Jaguar is of far more use to her than the goat.
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