Socks in dark room puzzle

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A man has 53 socks in his drawer: 21 identical blue, 15 identical black and 17 identical red. The lights are fused and he is completely in the dark.

How many socks must he take out to make 100 per cent certain he has a pair of black socks?

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  • 2 Answer(s)
    Best answer

    He must take out at least 40 socks to be 100% sure he has a pair of black socks.
    If he takes out 39 socks he could have all the blue (21) and red (17) socks and only one black sock.

    To get two identical socks of any color he only have to take out 4 socks.

    CugelTheWise Expert Answered on 5th February 2020.
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    40

    codeanshul Curious Answered on 20th April 2020.
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