Shostack + Friends Blog Archive

 

The "Box Switching" Game

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I have two boxes. Each has some positive amount of money in it, but I will give you no information about the possible dollar amounts other than the fact that one box has exactly twice the amount of money in it as the other. You randomly select one of the two boxes, open it, and find $100 inside. I now give you the option of keeping the $100 or switching boxes with me and keeping whatever’s inside the other box. Which should you choose?

This reminds me a lot of ‘The Wallet Game.’ I’m not yet sure if the analysis is the same? From Kevan Choset at Volokh. Read the excellent comments over there.

MatrixAll boxes by KellyBeth7.