AMC 10 Step by Step
2014 AMC 10BProblem 25P21-25~10 minPrint

In a small pond there are eleven lily pads in a row labeled 00 through 1010 . A frog is sitting on pad 11 . When the frog is on pad NN , 0<N<100<N<10 , it will jump to pad N1N-1 with probability N10\frac{N}{10} and to pad N+1N+1 with probability 1N101-\frac{N}{10} . Each jump is independent of the previous jumps. If the frog reaches pad 00 it will be eaten by a patiently waiting snake. If the frog reaches pad 1010 it will exit the pond, never to return. What is the probability that the frog will escape without being eaten by the snake?

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Problem © Mathematical Association of America (MAA), American Mathematics Competitions. Reproduced for non-commercial educational use. Solution and commentary are original to this site.