Stuck at my current score

Algebra Level 1

I'm at a place I'm allowed to throw a dart at a target. Each time I throw it, I can hit either the 50-point mark or the 25-point mark, but not any other place and not simultaneously. After I've thrown my n-th throw, my rank score ( X ( n ) X(n) ), calculated between 0 and 1, without dimensions or units, is the fraction of the cumulative number of points I have earned per the largest number of points I can possibly have gotten.

If I throw a lot of darts, I would roughly hit seven 50-point mark for every twelve 25-point mark hit. Then, if I throw many, many darts, the X ( n ) X(n) score settles on a certain number. What is that number, reporting using three significant (non-zero) digits?


The answer is 0.684.

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3 solutions

Amal Hari
Feb 18, 2019

Let x x denote one round where x = 12 + 7 = 19 x=12+7=19 darts

We have a total of 25 × 12 + 50 × 7 = 650 25\times 12 + 50 \times 7 =650 points per round,

Maximum points that is possible = 50 × 19 = 950 50 \times 19 =950

Now we can calculate average point gain per dart = 650 x \dfrac{650}{x}

and maximum points per dart = 950 x \dfrac{950}{x}

Ratio of points per dart to max points per dart = 650 x 950 x \dfrac{650x}{950x}

= 65 95 \dfrac{65}{95}

= 0.684 =0.684

Hi Amal, I think this is a very entertaining, interesting solution. You're laconic in your statement of the solution.

YuJin Kim - 2 years, 3 months ago
YuJin Kim
Feb 18, 2019

If you believe anything's missing or incorrect in the solution, please feel free to openly share your concerns.

The first paragraph introduces X X as a function of n n , and the second paragraph imposes "initial conditions" (coming from diffy-Q parlance), and both pieces of information are crucial to solving the problem.

After my n n -th throw, I've thrown a a -number of 50-point throws and b b number of 25-point throws. Here these numbers are reported so that their sum is equal to n n . The number of points I've gotten is their linear combination: 50 a + 25 b 50a + 25b . The maximum number of points is when I've hit the 50-point mark every time: 50 n 50n . So my X X fraction looks like:

X ( n ) = 50 a + 25 b 50 n X(n) = \dfrac{50a + 25b}{50n}

The second paragraph relates the numbers a a and b b to my n n . Let's say there had been nineteen throws. I've hit seven 50-point marks and twelve 25-point marks. So the proportion of a a and b b inside every sample of n n is:

a n = 7 19 \dfrac an = \dfrac{7}{19}

b n = 12 19 \dfrac bn = \dfrac{12}{19}

I rewrite the set of equations:

a = 7 19 n a=\dfrac{7}{19}n

b = 12 19 n b=\dfrac{12}{19}n

I rewrite X ( n ) X(n) as a function of just n n alone:

X ( n ) = 50 ( 7 19 ) n + 25 ( 12 19 ) n 50 n X(n)=\dfrac{50\left(\frac{7}{19}\right)n + 25\left(\frac{12}{19}\right)n}{50n}

The problem asks for the limit of X X as n n\to\infty , which I calculate using Wolfram|Alpha for free.

X 13 19 X\to\dfrac{13}{19}

Is what that machine tells me. I can use a calculator to get those decimals, which begin with the sequence 0.684. That is the answer I'll report here.

Thank you,

-YuJin

Actually, you don't have to use Wolframalpha for the limit because the n n s in the fraction cancel out and X ( n ) X(n) is just constant for all n n .

The limit just makes sure the definitions a = 7 19 n a=\frac 7{19}n and b = 12 19 n b=\frac {12}{19}n get more and more accurate.

Henry U - 2 years, 3 months ago

You are brilliant, Henry!

YuJin Kim - 2 years, 3 months ago
Kyle T
Feb 22, 2019

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