Suppose that we are given 12 points evenly spaced on a circle. Starting from a point in the 12 o’clock position, a particle P will move to one of the adjacent positions with equal probably, 1/2. P stops if it visits all 12 points. What is the most likely point that P stops for the last?
Tag Archives: random
2014-24 Random points on a sphere
Suppose that \(n\) points are chosen randomly on a sphere. What is the probability that all points are on some hemisphere?
(This is the last problem of 2014. Thank you!)
2012-21 Determinant of a random 0-1 matrix
Let \(n\) be a fixed positive integer and let \(p\in (0,1)\). Let \(D_n\) be the determinant of a random \(n\times n\) 0-1 matrix whose entries are independent identical random variables, each of which is 1 with the probability \(p\) and 0 with the probability \(1-p\). Find the expected value and variance of \(D_n\).