easy   Probability

Magic Doors

A release-checked easy problem for training Conditional Probability.

Question

Jeff is trapped in a room with $5$ indistinguishable doors. Behind $2$ of the doors are paths to freedom; one path is $2$ miles long, and the other path is $5$ miles long. Behind $3$ of the doors are paths that magically lead back to the room; one path is $1$ miles long, another path is $3$ miles long, and the final path is $4$ mile long. $$$$ If Jeff returns to the room, the order of the doors are scrambled and the $5$ doors are once again indistinguishable. What is the expected number of miles Jeff will travel before reaching freedom?

Practice focus

This Probability problem is tagged Conditional Probability. State the random variables and conditioning information explicitly, then check the result against boundary cases before opening hints or a solution.

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