1. Joined
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    09 Sep '05 02:45
    You have a bag with 50 balls in it. 25 of the balls are white, and 25 are black. You draw two balls from the bag at a time. You don't know what color the balls are until you have removed them from the bag. If you draw two white balls, or two black balls, you place a white ball in the bag. If the draw is two balls of different color, you place a black ball in the bag. What is the color of the last ball in the bag? If you start with n white balls, and n black balls, when is the last ball white, and when is the last ball black?
  2. Joined
    29 Apr '05
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    09 Sep '05 05:37
    how disappointing...the title says colored balls and i was looking forward to it, and then its only black and white balls which arent colors. ill give the problem a thought though 😛
  3. Joined
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    09 Sep '05 08:12
    Just a guestimate: if n=even, you end with a white ball, if n= odd you end with a black ball, as in the case with 25 white and 25 black balls.
  4. Joined
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    09 Sep '05 18:14
    Originally posted by Mephisto2
    Just a guestimate: if n=even, you end with a white ball, if n= odd you end with a black ball, as in the case with 25 white and 25 black balls.
    Very good. You are quite a problem solver. If anyone is interested in Mephisto's logic, PM me, and I'll give you the answer.
  5. Standard memberPBE6
    Bananarama
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    09 Sep '05 19:12
    Originally posted by rheymans
    Very good. You are quite a problem solver. If anyone is interested in Mephisto's logic, PM me, and I'll give you the answer.
    Just messing around with this...if you let the number of balls be different, say "n" black balls and "m" white balls, it turns out that the final colour depends only on the oddness/evenness (parity) of "n", the number of black balls. Interesting!
  6. Joined
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    10 Sep '05 00:30
    Originally posted by PBE6
    Just messing around with this...if you let the number of balls be different, say "n" black balls and "m" white balls, it turns out that the final colour depends only on the oddness/evenness (parity) of "n", the number of black balls. Interesting!
    Yes, that is right. The white balls are pretty much a distraction in this problem.
  7. Standard memberBowmann
    Non-Subscriber
    RHP IQ
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    10 Sep '05 20:12
    COLOUR
    COLOURS
    COLOURED
  8. Earth Prime
    Joined
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    10 Sep '05 20:42
    Originally posted by Bowmann
    COLOUR
    COLOURS
    COLOURED
    NO
    NOPE
    UH-UH
  9. Joined
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    3095
    11 Sep '05 02:02
    Originally posted by Bowmann
    COLOUR
    COLOURS
    COLOURED
    Seems like a waste of a perfectly good "U". Don't you think? 😉
  10. Standard membereldragonfly
    leperchaun messiah
    thru a glass onion
    Joined
    19 Apr '03
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    13 Sep '05 00:481 edit
    Originally posted by rheymans
    You have a bag with 50 balls in it. 25 of the balls are white, and 25 are black. You draw two balls from the bag at a time. You don't know what color the balls are until you have removed them from the bag. If you draw two white balls, or two black balls, you place a white ball in the bag. If the draw is two balls of different color, you place a black ...[text shortened]... n white balls, and n black balls, when is the last ball white, and when is the last ball black?
    This problem might not be properly stated.

    1) What if you draw one black and one white ball ?

    2) Is there a separate bag ?

    3) Are black and white really colors?
  11. Joined
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    3095
    13 Sep '05 02:50
    Originally posted by eldragonfly
    This problem might not be properly stated.

    1) What if you draw one black and one white ball ?

    2) Is there a separate bag ?

    3) Are black and white really colors?
    1) What if you draw one black and one white ball ?

    This is the case when the two balls are different colors.

    2) Is there a separate bag ?

    No.

    3) Are black and white really colors?

    Although it is not important, if it means so much to you, call them red, and green balls instead of black, and white. In any case, if you went to a paint store, and you asked for what colors they have available, I'm sure that black, and white would be mentioned. I would like to read a sentence that uses black, or white as an adjective, and said adjective does not imply the color of what it describes.
  12. Standard membereldragonfly
    leperchaun messiah
    thru a glass onion
    Joined
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    13 Sep '05 03:25
    Originally posted by rheymans
    Although it is not important, if it means so much to you, call them red, and green balls instead of black, and white. In any case, if you went to a paint store, and you asked for what colors they have available, I'm sure that black, and white would be mentioned. I would like to read a sentence that uses black, or white as an adjective, and said adjective does not imply the color of what it describes.
    Good point.
  13. Joined
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    13 Sep '05 03:46
    Originally posted by eldragonfly
    Good point.
    Thank you.
  14. Standard memberBowmann
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    13 Sep '05 16:05
    Originally posted by rheymans
    Seems like a waste of a perfectly good "U". Don't you think? 😉
    No.


    American: flashlight

    English: torch

    Letters saved: 5
  15. Standard memberAThousandYoung
    Shoot the Squatters?
    tinyurl.com/43m7k8bw
    Joined
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    13 Sep '05 16:122 edits
    Originally posted by Bowmann
    No.


    American: flashlight

    English: torch

    Letters saved: 5
    Ambiguity added. A torch to an American is a flame on a stick. The American term avoids ambiguity.
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