Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site rabbit.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!eagle!allegra!alice!rabbit!ark From: ark@rabbit.UUCP (Andrew Koenig) Newsgroups: net.puzzle Subject: A different balls-in-bowl puzzle Message-ID: <2514@rabbit.UUCP> Date: Wed, 15-Feb-84 11:28:39 EST Article-I.D.: rabbit.2514 Posted: Wed Feb 15 11:28:39 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 17-Feb-84 04:54:07 EST Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 12 You have a bowl in front of you with a number of black and white marbles in it. You now repeat the following step: Remove two marbles from the bowl. If they are the same color, put a white marble back. If they are different colors, put a black marble back. You have a sufficient supply of extra white marbles to accomplish this. Since each step removes two marbles and replaces one, you will eventually wind up with only a single marble in the bowl. What color is it? The answer is a function of the number of marbles of each color that were originally in the bowl.