Point nearer the centre of a square than its sides
Question
Choose a point uniformly at random inside a square. What is the probability that the point is closer to the square's centre than to the nearest side of the square?
Short answer
. Take the square ; in the quarter where the right side is nearest, the condition is the parabola region . Intersecting with (where ) and integrating gives the result, confirmed by simulation.
Adapted from Wilmott, Frequently Asked Questions in Quantitative Finance, ch. 10 brainteaser 'Closer to the edge or the centre?', p.353; question and answer rewritten by SelfMadeQuant.com.
See the hint and the full worked solution in the question bank (free account).
Open the worked solutionLessons behind this question
- Probability via Integration: PDFs, CDFs, and Expected Value
- Continuous Random Variables and Probability Density Functions
- Cumulative Distribution Functions
Start with a free lesson: Normal Distribution is part of a free topic. Create a free account, no card needed, to read it in full with worked solutions.
Read it free