Three random dots on different sides of a square
Question
Each of three dots is put on one of the four sides of a square, with the side chosen uniformly at random and independently for each dot. What is the probability that no two dots share a side?
Short answer
. The first dot can go anywhere, the second must avoid its side (probability ), and the third must avoid both used sides (probability ), giving .
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Open the worked solutionLessons behind this question
- Counting and Combinatorics
- Conditional Probability, Total Probability, and Bayes' Rule
- Worked Examples — Probability Trees, Monty Hall, and Bayesian Updating
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