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From: srini@ut-sally.UUCP (Srinivasan Sundararajan)
Newsgroups: net.math,net.games
Subject: Re: Party game of chance
Message-ID: <973@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-Feb-84 16:21:21 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.973
Posted: Mon Feb 20 16:21:21 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Feb-84 04:45:49 EST
References: <211@heurikon.UUCP> <838@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 23


		The Pigeon-Hole Principle
		=========================

Why bother with probabilities at all if all you need to be sure is a 100%
chance of winning.
For those have not heard of pigeon-holing :
	
	1) Assume 365 pigeon-holes - one for each day of the year. 

	2) Assume P persons in the room.

	2) Each person claims a pigeon-hole for himself. ( 2 persons might have
	   the same birthday and thus claim the same hole ).

	3) If P = 365, it is possible ( rather slim ) , that they all choose
	   different holes, BUT,

	   if P >= 366, then we are guaranteed that at least 2 persons pick 
	   the same box.

From:
srini@ut-sally