This is BrainLog, a blog by Dan Sanderson. Older entries, from October 1999 through September 2010, are preserved for posterity, but are no longer maintained. See the front page and newer entries.

May 30, 2001

My only advice is, if you can get me to offer you $5,000 not to open the door, take the money and go home.

-- Monty Hall

Old story of Marilyn vos Savant's presentation of the Monty Hall Problem. Read to the bottom on the accidental ambiguity in the way vos Savant stated the problem; an interesting dimension that made Let's Make a Deal more than just the one probability problem. I love how Monty Hall himself knows the problem backwards and forewords, but mathematics profs still get tripped up. (Nothing against mathematics profs; it's a tough problem, and anyone who says it isn't is a jerk.)

comments...

Hey! I check your blog most days, and was intrigued to find this posting. A while ago, I created a chart to test the theory, and proved it to be true. I'm a hobby magician, and LOVE the fact that this is so tremendously counter-intuitive!



http://www3.sympatico.ca/dan.maggie/html/monty.html



Cheers!

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