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Optimal strategies for the progressive Monty Hall problem

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2016

Stephen K. Lucas  and
Jason Rosenhouse
Stephen K. Lucas
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA e-mails: lucassk@jmu.edu; rosenhjd@jmu.edu
Jason Rosenhouse
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA e-mails: lucassk@jmu.edu; rosenhjd@jmu.edu
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Extract

In the classical Monty Hall problem you are a contestant on a game show confronted with three identical doors. One of them conceals a car while the other two conceal goats. You choose a door, but do not open it. The host, Monty Hall, now opens one of the other two doors, careful always to choose one he knows to conceal a goat. You are then given the options either of sticking with your original door, or switching to the other unopened door. What should you do to maximise your chances of winning the car?

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Articles
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The Mathematical Gazette , Volume 93 , Issue 528 , November 2009 , pp. 410 - 419
Copyright
Copyright © The Mathematical Association 2009

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