Futility Closet - In 1984 Donald E. Knuth noticed that the toilet paper dispensers in
Stanford’s computer science department hold two rolls of tissue, both of
which are available for use. Suppose there are two sorts of people in
the world, those who are disposed to draw from the larger roll and those
who draw from the smaller roll, and that each user takes exactly one
sheet from his favored roll. What’s the expected number of sheets
remaining just after one of the two rolls has been emptied? Donald E. Knuth’s Toilet Paper Problem.
2 comments:
One.
Reminds me of an ancient joke:
Question: "Did you hear about the constipated mathematician?
Answer: "Yes - He worked it out with a pencil."
Post a Comment