Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Two friends, Ravi and Sara, agree to meet at a cafe some time between pm and pm. Each arrives at a random moment in the hour, independently of the other. If Ravi arrives first, he waits minutes for Sara. If Sara arrives first, she waits only minutes for Ravi. They meet if the one who arrives second comes before the first one leaves. First find the probability that they meet when both wait minutes. Then find the probability that they meet with the waiting times in this problem.
For a point chosen at random on a line, . For two numbers chosen at random in , the sample space is a square of side , and . A simulation estimates a probability, with a usual error of about .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The square. Let be Ravi's arrival and be Sara's, in minutes after pm. Every point of the square is equally likely. The area is .
Step 2. Both wait 20 minutes. They fail to meet when . That is two triangles with legs of minutes, each of area . So .
Step 3. Waits of 20 and 10 minutes. They fail to meet when (Sara arrives too late for Ravi), which is a triangle with legs and area . They also fail when (Ravi arrives too late for Sara), which is a triangle with legs and area . So .
Answer: and .
Check. The second probability is smaller. The friends are less patient, so they meet less often.
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