5 ms·
In real life, smaller particles tend to sink to the bottom of a container. So you're more likely to grab a whole pill as time goes by.
by joncrane 7y ago
In real life, smaller particles tend to sink to the bottom of a container. So you're more likely to grab a whole pill as time goes by.
- Syzygies 7y agoBingo. I read the code to be sure there wasn't a factor to model this. The answer should depend on the relative probability of choosing a whole pill or a half pill. The code assumes equal odds, with no state dependence on the remaining ratio. I was startled by the formula, though. It's the same as the Gilbert-Shannon-Reeds model for card shuffling, where the probability of a card falling from each packet scales to the number of cards left in each packet. (I wrote the "seven shuffles" paper with Persi Diaconis.)
- Smithalicious 7y agoOn the other hand, you always put the half pills you create on top of the pills already in there, not in a random spot in the bottle.
- epicwhaleburger 7y agoI wanted to get quarters out of a change jar and remembered exactly this. Just shook it around (lightly) until there were quarters at the top.