The Birthday Problem
April 15, 2007No .. this isn’t a problem about what to get a child for a birthday or what cake to order or anything like that. Here we have yet another problem designed to stimulate the brain. If you haven’t already tried the Monty Hall Problem then click the link and give that one a try. The solution is coming out tomorrow.
This problem is related to the Monty Hall Problem in that it is a study of probability. The question is this
“If you are in a math class (the horror!) how many people would need to be in a class for there to be a 50% or greater chance that two people share the same birthday ?” You need only match the day not necessarily the year (ie/May 18th for example - chosen because it is the date of my birthday). You can then add to the problem by trying to determine how many people it would take before there was a 95% chance that two of the people have the same birthday. The answers may surprise you.
Cheers
You are going to have to come down to our mathematical level. Perhaps grade 2 or 3 level would get more responses. I hated math in school and as a result did not do very well.
Mom
Comment by Mom — April 17, 2007 @ 5:53 am