#ThisWeeksFiddler, 20251107
This week the #puzzle is: The Randy Hall Problem #probabilities #MontyHall You are a producer on a game show hosted by Randy “Random” Hall (no relation to Monty Hall). The show has three doors labeled 1 through 3 from left to right, and behind them are various prizes. Contestants pick one of the three doors […]

https://stuff.ommadawn.dk/2025/11/11/thisweeksfiddler-20251107/

#ThisWeeksFiddler, 20251031
This week the #puzzle is: How Much Does Game 1 Matter? #probabilities #combinatorics #PascalsTriangle #animation You and your opponent are beginning a best-of-seven series, meaning the first team to win four games wins the series. Both teams are evenly matched, meaning each team has a 50 percent chance of winning each game, independent of the […]

https://stuff.ommadawn.dk/2025/11/04/thisweeksfiddler-20251031/

#ThisWeeksFiddler, 20251024
This week the #puzzle is: Will the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor? #odds With the regular season over, there are two clear favorites for baseball’s American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award according to ESPN: – Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, whose odds are -150.– Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, whose […]

https://stuff.ommadawn.dk/2025/10/28/thisweeksfiddler-20251024/

#ThisWeeksFiddler, 20251017
This week the #puzzle is: Can You Reach the Edge of the Square? #average #geometry #trigonometry #integral You start at the center of the unit square and then pick a random direction to move in, with all directions being equally likely. You move along this chosen direction until you reach a point on the perimeter […]

https://stuff.ommadawn.dk/2025/10/21/thisweeksfiddler-20251017/

#ThisWeeksFiddler, 20251010
This week the #puzzle is: Let’s Make a Tic-Tac-Deal! #probabilities The game of Tic-Tac-Deal 2.0 has a 3-by-3 square grid with the numbers 3 through 11, arranged as follows:
3 4 5
6 7 8
9 10 11
You start by rolling a standard pair of six-sided dice and add the two numbers rolled. You place an […]

https://stuff.ommadawn.dk/2025/10/14/thisweeksfiddler-20251010/

#ThisWeeksFiddler, 20251003
This week the #puzzle is: When Will You Cross Your Path? #geometry #angle Anita the ant is going for a walk in the sand, leaving a trail as she goes. First, she walks 1 inch in a straight line. Then she rotates counterclockwise by an angle 𝝋, after which she walks another 2 inches. She […]

https://stuff.ommadawn.dk/2025/10/07/thisweeksfiddler-20251003/

#ThisWeeksFiddler, 20250926
This week the #puzzle is: Can You Take a “Risk”? #ExpectedValue #probabilities #permutations #MonteCarlo Regarding Risk. At the end of each turn in the game in which you conquer at least one enemy territory on the board, you are dealt a card. There are 42 territory cards in the deck—14 that depict an infantry unit, […]

https://stuff.ommadawn.dk/2025/09/30/thisweeksfiddler-20250926/

#ThisWeeksFiddler, 20250919
This week the #puzzle is: Can Your Team Self-Organize? #permutations #LongestIncreasingSubsequence In a recent team building exercise at work, a group of people (including myself) was asked to quantify themselves in various ways. For example: “What outdoor temperature do you prefer?” No one reveals their answer at first. Instead, each person places a card with […]

https://stuff.ommadawn.dk/2025/09/23/thisweeksfiddler-20250919/

#ThisWeeksFiddler, 20250912
This week the #puzzle is: Can You Box the Letters? #permutations In the game of Letter Boxed from The New York Times, you must connect letters together around a square to spell out words. However, from any given letter, the next letter cannot be on the same side of the square. Consider the following diagram, […]

https://stuff.ommadawn.dk/2025/09/16/thisweeksfiddler-20250912/

#ThisWeeksFiddler, 20250905
This week the #puzzle is: How Low (or High) Can You Go? #probabilities #volume #area #random You’re playing a game of “high-low,” which proceeds as follows: First, you are presented with a random number, x1, which is between 0 and 1. A new number, x2, is about to be randomly selected between 0 and 1, independent of […]

https://stuff.ommadawn.dk/2025/09/09/thisweeksfiddler-20250905/