Question

Three soldiers (named A, B, and C) must decide between themselves, which one goes on a dangerous mission. They decide to take turns drawing straws; there are 5 long straws and 1 short straw. Whoever picks the short straw must go on the mission. Soldier A picks first, soldier B picks second and soldier C picks third. On each draw soldier A will always draw 1 straw, soldier B will always draw 2 straws, and soldier C will always draw 3 straws. For each soldier (A, B, C) what is the probability they end up drawing the short straw?

a) (5 marks) Suppose they draw straws without replacement. Note: This means after a straw is drawn it is not available for the next pick. Note: With this strategy they will determine who goes on the mission after each soldier draws once.

b) (5 marks) Suppose they draw straws with replacement. Note: This means after a straw is drawn it is replaced and available for the next pick. In this scenario if nobody picks the short straw after each of their first pick, they start all over in the same rotation and continue.

Answer 1