Student Puzzle Corner
Deadline: April 25, 2021 Puzzle Editor Anirban DasGupta proposes a palindrome problem in the domain of probabilistic number theory. It will take careful thinking and patience to work out the more difficult parts of this problem. I try to give you hints, as you move from one part to the…

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The puzzle was this maximum likelihood estimation problem in a badminton game. Student Puzzle Editor Anirban DasGupta explains the solution: For part (a), writing q for p2 = cp, the likelihood function is ((1 − p)p4q4)(p4q3(1 − q))((1 − q))(q3p2(1 − p))(p5q4(1 − q)) = p29(1 − p)2(1 −…

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Student Puzzle Editor Anirban DasGupta writes: Our respondent Raimundo Julian Saona Urmeneta, who is a PhD student at the Institute of Science and Technology in Austria, has done a lovely and complete job of solving the previous puzzle. Congratulations to Raimundo. We are publishing his answer [below] as…

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Deadline: February 1, 2021 Puzzle Editor Anirban DasGupta sets a problem on maximum likelihood estimation in a sports scenario. Between two badminton players $A$ and $B$, player $B$ has a probability $p_1 = p$ of returning a serve or a shot from $A$, and $A$ has a probability \$p2 =…

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Student Puzzle editor Anirban DasGupta set a problem about random walks, in the October/November issue. The deadline for submitting your solution is December 1, 2020. See the puzzle here.…

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