# The Prisoner's Dilemma

by Roman Wong (Washington & Jefferson College)

This article originally appeared in:
Mathematics Magazine
December, 1993

Subject classification(s): Statistics and Probability | Probability
Applicable Course(s): 6.1 Probability & Statistics

$$N$$ white balls and $$N$$ black balls, identical in shape, are distributed into two identical bags. One bag is picked at random and one ball is drawn at random. How should the balls be distributed to maximize the probability that this ball is white.

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Capsule Course Topic(s):
Probability | Famous Problems, Other