Math problems and marriage
January 12, 2013 § 1 Comment
So, at tea this afternoon:
Me: Hey, Vivienne, here’s a cool math problem:
Vivienne: [skeptical expression]
Me: Suppose I give you an envelope with $20 in it, and I have another
envelope with either half that much or twice that much in it. I offer
to trade the envelope you’ve got for the one I have. Do you take the
trade?
Vivienne: No. $20 is enough.
After twelve years of marriage, sometimes I can’t tell whether she
loves me, or whether she hates me but we get along well.
She made the right choice. You haven’t said what the probability is that the envelope contains either amount!