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Department of Mathematics,
University of California San Diego

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Math 196/296 - Student Colloquium

Patrick J. Fitzsimmons

UCSD

Irrational Coin Tossing

Abstract:

This talk was inspired by a problem on the $1989$ Putnam Mathematical Competition: If p is an irrational number such that $0 < p < 1$, is there a finite game with an honest coin such that the probability of one player winning the game is p ? We consider several solutions of this problem. An extension of the problem leads naturally to an example of a continuous strictly increasing function with derivative equal to zero almost everywhere. Refreshments will be served.

Host:

November 26, 2003

11:00 AM

AP&M 2402

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