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Linear AlgebraSuperchallengeMarkov Chains & Long-Run Behavior

Markov Chains & Long-Run Behavior · Superchallenge problem

A board game has squares 0,1,2,…,70, 1, 2, \ldots, 7. A player starts on square 00 and each turn flips a fair coin, moving forward 11 square on tails and 22 squares on heads; the player finishes as soon as a move reaches square 88 or beyond. Square 22 has a ladder: landing on it moves the player straight to square 44. Square 66 has a snake: landing on it sends the player back to square 00. What is the expected number of turns needed to finish? Express your answer as a common fraction.