Linear AlgebraSuperchallengeMarkov Chains & Long-Run Behavior
Markov Chains & Long-Run Behavior · Superchallenge problem
A board game has squares . A player starts on square and each turn flips a fair coin, moving forward square on tails and squares on heads; the player finishes as soon as a move reaches square or beyond. Square has a ladder: landing on it moves the player straight to square . Square has a snake: landing on it sends the player back to square . What is the expected number of turns needed to finish? Express your answer as a common fraction.