Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Schrodinger's M&Ms

Here is todays puzzle. If you think that you know the answer, please post it in the comments section.

There is a closed box with 34 M&Ms inside of it. 15 of the M&Ms are green, 12 are yellow and 7 are red. When the box is opened, the M&Ms either change color or cease to exist. Each green M&M has a 1/2 chance of becoming yellow, a 1/4 chance of becoming red and a 1/4 chance of ceasing to exist. Each yellow M&M has a 3/5 chance of becoming red, a 1/5 chance of becoming green and a 1/5 chance of becoming non existent. Each red M&M has a 13/25 chance of becoming green, a 6/25 chance of becoming yellow and a 6/25 chance of ceasing to exist. What is the expected color distribution of the M&Ms after opening the box?

The answer will be posted on Friday.

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