Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

A box contains two coins. One coin is heads on both sides and the other is heads on one side and tails on the other. One coin is selected from the box at random and the face of one side is observed. If the face is heads what is the probability that the other side is heads?

  1. None

  2. 1 1/3

  3. 2/3

  4. 1/3

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

This is the classic two-coin probability puzzle. There are 3 heads faces that could be shown (HH coin has 2, HT coin has 1). If we see heads, 2 out of 3 cases are from the double-headed coin, so P(other side is heads) = 2/3. Many students mistakenly think it's 1/2.