Larger or smaller?

Guest presenter, Probability 1 Minute

Suppose I write down two different numbers on two slips of paper. You have no idea what the two numbers are. They could be really large or really small, positive or negative, rational or irrational. All you know is that the two numbers are different.Your job is to pick the larger number.

Is there a way for you to guess the larger number with a probability greater than 50%?

The surprising answer is yes.

Published by John Quintanilla

I'm a Professor of Mathematics and a University Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of North Texas. For eight years, I was co-director of Teach North Texas, UNT's program for preparing secondary teachers of mathematics and science.

Published

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