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From: kaufman@uiucdcs.UUCP (kaufman )
Newsgroups: net.puzzle
Subject: Re: Balls in Bowl (no correct answers ye - (nf)
Message-ID: <5752@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 19-Feb-84 22:26:46 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.5752
Posted: Sun Feb 19 22:26:46 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Feb-84 03:46:02 EST
Lines: 22

#R:pucc-i:-21000:uiucdcs:40700006:000:1074
uiucdcs!kaufman    Feb 19 16:43:00 1984

     There are two ways to look at this problem, each of which guarantees a
different answer.  First assume all balls can be numbered, with balls 1-100
going in the first time, then balls 101-200, then balls 201-300, and so on.

Solution 1:  The first ball removed is ball 1; the second one removed is ball
             2; and so on.  Ball n will be removed at 1/n before noon ==>
             all balls put in will be removed before noon.
             Therefore, no balls in the bowl at noon.

Solution 2:  The first ball removed is ball 100; the second one is ball 200,
             and so on.  99 out of every 100 balls will never be removed and
             since we put balls in an infinite number of times, an infinite
             number of balls will be in the bowl at noon.

      Those are the "normal" ways to look at the problem.  Of course, for any
k < 100 we could say the first ball removed is ball k+1, the second is k+2,
etc.  At noon, only k balls: balls 1-k will be in the bowl.   TAKE YOUR PICK!

                           Ken Kaufman (uiucdcs!kaufman)