by forwardslash
I’m a big fan of the TV quiz show ‘Pointless’. If you’ve not seen it, stop reading this and go see it. If you have seen it then you’ll be familiar with the show’s set-up. Four teams compete each show to make it through to the final round, where they have a chance to win the jackpot. Only one team makes it through to the final round each show. However unlike in other quiz shows, Pointless teams get two attempts to make it through to the final round, meaning the same team can return and appear on two consecutive shows. However teams who make it to the final round on their first attempt cannot compete for a second time and are replaced by a new team on the next show. Ultimately what I’m trying to say is that, on any given episode of Pointless, the 4 competing teams are made up of a combination of New and Returning teams.This begs the question: what is the probability associated with each combination of new and returning teams?