XPost: rec.puzzles, alt.usage.english   
   From: HenHanna@NewsGrouper   
      
   HenHanna@NewsGrouper  posted:   
      
   >   
   > What a great problem!!!   
   >   
   >        (I must have gotten slower (and stupider) in the last 10 years)   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > Newsgroups: rec.puzzles   
   > Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2015 15:18:24 -0800 (PST)   
   >   
   > Subject: (CarTalk) (100 passengers lined up to board an airplane) -- The   
   Last Seat   
   > From: henhanna@gmail.com   
   >   
   >   
   > (CarTalk)   I think this was first aired   11 years ago.   
   >           ... and again on NPR in the last week or two.   
   >   
   >   
   >             (not a trick question -- a pure math (probability) problem)   
   >   
   > _________________   
   >   
   > RAY:   You're one of a hundred people standing in line to get onto an   
   airplane that has 100 seats. There's a seat for every person who's in line,   
   and each of you has a boarding pass for your assigned a seat.   
   >   
   > The first person to walk onto the plane drops his boarding pass and, instead   
   of picking it up, decides, "I'm just going to sit anyplace."   He takes a seat   
   at random.   
   >   
   > Now, every other passenger will take either his [or her] assigned seat or,   
   if that seat is taken, that passenger will take any seat at random.   
   >   
   >   
   > _________________   
   >   
   > TOM: I've been on that flight!   
   >   
   >   
   > RAY: You are the last passenger to walk onto the plane. Obviously, there's   
   going to be one seat left, because everyone else is sitting in his correct   
   seat, or not.   
   >   
   >   
   > The question is:    What are the chances that you get to sit in your   
   assigned seat?   
      
   ___   
      
      Does anyone see this?   
   ___   
      
      
      For a long time,  I've thought about this question   
      
              ---------  What's the diff. between a Puzzle and a  Math Problem ?   
      
   If it's easy enough to be taken up by NPR Car Talk,  then it's a Puzzle.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)