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Counting and the reflection principle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2016

Ray Hill
Ray Hill*
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT
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Extract

In her Gazette article on “Roll-a-penny probabilities”, Ann Hirst sets out to find the probability that a player will lose after a certain number of rolls. She considers only the simplest case where the player starts with one penny, and solves the problem by setting up a recurrence relation and using induction. The problem of what happens if the player starts with more than one penny is left for the further consideration of the reader.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Mathematical Gazette , Volume 75 , Issue 473 , October 1991 , pp. 308 - 312
Copyright
Copyright © The Mathematical Association 1991

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References

1. Cohen, D.I.A., Basic Techniques of Combinatorial Theory, John Wiley and Sons, New York (1978).Google Scholar
2. Grimaldi, R.P., Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics, 2nd edition, Addison Wesley (1989).Google Scholar
3. Hirst, A., Roll-a-penny probabilities, Math. Gaz. 73, 101–106 (1989).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4. Honsberger, R., Mathematical Gems III, The Mathematical Association of America (1985).CrossRefGoogle Scholar