Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihuxq.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!ihuxq!ken
From: ken@ihuxq.UUCP (ken perlow)
Newsgroups: net.math
Subject: Yet another probability puzzle
Message-ID: <703@ihuxq.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Feb-84 13:57:29 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxq.703
Posted: Thu Feb 23 13:57:29 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Feb-84 02:18:51 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 18

What is the expected value of the range of N random points on
a line from 0 to 1?  I think that's a concise statement of the
problem.  To avoid ambiguity (I'm not a mathematician), I'll
restate it as I conceived it: You have this (finite) 1-dimensional
dart board at which you throw random darts.  What is the
expected dispersion of N darts if they must all hit the board,
but any point within is equally probable?

I believe this problem is related to Chris Scussel's puzzle about
cutting the correct lengths from 1 chain for N jobs about which you
have no information, but I don't know why.
-- 
                    *** ***
JE MAINTIENDRAI   ***** *****
                 ****** ******    23 Feb 84 [4 Ventose An CXCII]
ken perlow       *****   *****
(312)979-7261     ** ** ** **
..ihnp4!ihuxq!ken   *** ***