Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Help Solve Our Marital Debate!

Ok, we need your answers to this probability question that I came up with. Don't ask why we were even talking about probability questions on the couch at 9:00pm tonight, I don't know why.

So there is a sock drawer full of socks. Half are blue, half are black. All socks feel the same, you close your eyes, reach in and pull out two socks. What are the chances that you pull out a pair that are both blue socks?

Jon and I both came up with answers, but they are very different. I think neither one of us is now 100% sure of our answer's correctness. Oh! Ha ha, get it? That was kind of like a probability math pun. Wow, I'm even dorkier than I realized!

Thanks for your answers. We will post what we thought later.

11 comments:

Bree said...

Why are you doing this kind of math well into your adulthood? Are you two feeling ill?
It depends on if you are pulling them out one at a time or two at a time. If one at a time, then the chances are 50/50. If two at a time, I don't know because I failed general math.
D says he will think about it. He is a math genie.

Anonymous said...

25%

Kendra Lynn said...

I'm so bad at math that I decided not to even TRY to answer that question!

Kendra

Judy said...

If you are doing it one at a time, you have a 50% chance of pulling out a blue sock the first time, and then a 50% chance OF THAT that the second sock will also be blue...that's 25%.

In my house, though, it would be 50% because none of my socks are allowed in the drawer unless they are folded together with their partners...no bachelor socks allowed! You either pull out a blue pair or pull out a black pair!

George said...

for every time you pull out two socks, the probability you pull two blue socks is 1 out of 4.

and i agree with Judy's answer and logic completely... socks are to be paired up right out of the dryer and before laid to rest in the "sock drawer"... mono-sockitis is not tolerated in my household.

Anonymous said...

this is the kind of thing that's on the CFA exam that i'm studying for so i can answer with confidence. it's 1/2 times 1/2 so 25%!

Judy said...

Where are you guys? We're needing some feedback here! LOL

Anonymous said...

The more socks you have the more the odds approach 1 in 4 (25%). However if there are only 6 socks (3 blue and 3 black) then the odds are 3/6 x 2/5 = 6/30 = 20%

Brianne said...

Anonymous is a genious.

Anonymous said...

(This comment is unrelated to the current post, but I don't have a flickr account)

Your latest pics are cute - I think the "Pipe Dream" one is especially cool. And the bathroom shots are adorable as well!

Just had to tell you that.

Judy said...

Hey FYI - I am totally rooting for detroit in the World Series. Nothing would make me happier than to see St. Louis go to pot...yesterday.