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Two players alternate tossing a biased coin where the probability of getting heads is p. The current player is awarded alpha points for tails and alpha+beta for heads. The first player reaching n points wins. For a completely unfair coin…

Probability · Mathematics 2011-12-15 Robert W. Chen , Burton Rosenberg

We consider a somehow peculiar Token/Bucket problem which at first sight looks confusing and difficult to solve. The winning approach to solve the problem consists in going back to the simple and traditional methods to solve computer…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2009-06-02 Andrea Pasquinucci

We address a well-known problem in combinatorics involving the identification of counterfeit coins with a systematic approach. The methodology can be applied to cases where the total number of coins is exceedingly large such that brute…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2009-05-04 Eldin Wee Chuan Lim

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the idea of triangular Ramsey numbers and provide values as well as upper and lower bounds for them. To do this, the combinatorial game Mines is introduced; after some necessary theorems about…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2016-12-06 Timothy Trujillo , Connor Mattes , Zachary Chaney , Jed Menard

This paper deals with the application of Approximation Theory type techniques to study a classical problem in Probability: estimating the parameter of a biased coin. For this purpose, a Minimax Estimation problem is considered and the…

Probability · Mathematics 2018-02-15 D. Benko , D. Coroian , P. D. Dragnev , R. Orive

A classical result of K. L. Chung and W. Feller deals with the partial sums $S_k$ arising in a fair coin-tossing game. If $N_n$ is the number of "positive" terms among $S_1, S_2,\dots,S_n$ then the quantity $P(N_{2n}=2r)$ takes an elegant…

Probability · Mathematics 2018-10-16 F. Alberto Grünbaum

The constrained Dirichlet boundary value problem $\ddot x=f(t,x)$, $x(0)=x(T)$, is studied in billiard spaces, where impacts occur in boundary points. Therefore we develop the research on impulsive Dirichlet problems with state-dependent…

Classical Analysis and ODEs · Mathematics 2022-04-26 Grzegorz Gabor

Gimbert and Horn gave an algorithm for solving simple stochastic games with running time O(r! n) where n is the number of positions of the simple stochastic game and r is the number of its coin toss positions. Chatterjee et al. pointed out…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2012-03-21 Rasmus Ibsen-Jensen , Peter Bro Miltersen

We extend the classical coupon collector's problem to one in which two collectors are simultaneously and independently seeking collections of $d$ coupons. We find, in finite terms, the probability that the two collectors finish at the same…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2007-05-23 Amy N. Myers , Herbert S. Wilf

Penney's Ante exhibits non-transitivity when two target strings race to appear in a shared stream of coin tosses. We study instead independent string races, where each player observes their own independent and identically distributed…

Probability · Mathematics 2026-01-26 Søren Riis , Mike Paterson

The aim of this paper is to solve the "gift exchange" problem: you are one of n players, and there are n wrapped gifts on display; when your turn comes, you can either choose any of the remaining wrapped gifts, or you can "steal" a gift…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2009-07-06 David Applegate , N. J. A. Sloane

Coin flipping is a cryptographic primitive in which two distrustful parties wish to generate a random bit in order to choose between two alternatives. This task is impossible to realize when it relies solely on the asynchronous exchange of…

There are many papers written on the Two Envelopes Problem that usually study some of its variations. In this paper we will study and compare the most significant variations of the problem. We will see the correct decisions for each player…

History and Overview · Mathematics 2014-11-12 Panagiotis Tsikogiannopoulos

The Monty Hall puzzle has been solved and dissected in many ways, but always using probabilistic arguments, so it is considered a probability puzzle. In this paper the puzzle is set up as an orthodox statistical problem involving an unknown…

Other Statistics · Statistics 2020-10-07 Yudi Pawitan

Is flipping a coin a deterministic process or a random one? We do not allow bounces. If we know the initial velocity and the spin given to the coin, mechanics should predict the face it lands on. However, the coin toss has been everyone's…

Classical Physics · Physics 2019-04-16 Jithin D. George

Finding a counterfeit coin with the different weight from a set of visually identical coin using a balance, usually a two-armed balance, known as the balance question, is an intersting and inspiring question. Its variants involve…

Information Theory · Computer Science 2020-07-28 Fangqi Li

We analyze the computational complexity of the problem of deciding whether, for a given simple game, there exists the possibility of rearranging the participants in a set of $j$ given losing coalitions into a set of $j$ winning coalitions.…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2015-03-25 X. Molinero , M. Olsen , M. Serna

In Zeng et al. [Fluct. Noise Lett. 7 (2007) L439--L447] the analysis of the lowest unique positive integer game is simplified by some reasonable assumptions that make the problem tractable for arbitrary numbers of players. However, here we…

Combinatorics · Mathematics 2009-12-09 Adrian P. Flitney

We harness both human ingenuity and the power of symbolic computation to study the number of coin tosses until reaching $n$ Heads or $m$ Tails. We also talk about the closely related problem of reaching $n$ Heads and $m$ Tails. This paper…

Probability · Mathematics 2025-12-09 Svante Janson , Lucy Martinez , Doron Zeilberger

We analyze a coin-based game with two players where, before starting the game, each player selects a string of length $n$ comprised of coin tosses. They alternate turns, choosing the outcome of a coin toss according to specific rules. As a…