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[Not-so-daily puzzle] The Patoshi Key Challenge
734 sats \ 5 comments \ @south_korea_ln 16 Jan science
You’ve uncovered a legendary tale of three envelopes, each containing a private key. Two of the private keys correspond to Bitcoin addresses with empty UTXO sets, but one unlocks an address from the Patoshi stack, an address believed to hold part of Satoshi's fortune.
Through an extraordinary stroke of luck, you gain a direct line to Craig Wright, who (obviously) knows which envelope holds the private key to the Patoshi address. You pick one envelope, hoping it contains the prize. Before you proceed, Realtoshi steps in and, using his knowledge, shows you on mempool.space that one of the other two private keys corresponds to an empty UTXO set.
Craig now gives you a choice:
“Will you stick with your original envelope or switch to the other unopened envelope?”
What strategy will maximize your chances of accessing the legendary Patoshi address and claiming the Bitcoin fortune?
Previous iteration: #850859 (I just updated the answer in #852245 as no one came up with a final answer since yesterday).
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219 sats \ 0 replies \ @OneOneSeven 16 Jan
Swap it, Monty!
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143 sats \ 1 reply \ @WeAreAllSatoshi 16 Jan
I know the answer, but I don't know why it's the answer. I think this is a position many people find themselves in.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @south_korea_ln OP 17 Jan
This is a pretty good and short video that explains why you should switch.
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101 sats \ 1 reply \ @Scroogey 16 Jan
The answer depends on whether you are familiar with decision trees.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @south_korea_ln OP 17 Jan
That's a fascinating story. Interesting that even Erdos got stumped by it, didn't know about that. I knew about the Marilyn vos Savant events surrounding this problem.
I'm somehow a sucker for this kind of books/articles written by famous thinkers of old times. Feynman books on life (not his lectures) are good examples of that. I'd like to find more of these.
I realize the video I shared above for @WeAreAllSatoshi uses decision trees to explain why one should switch. It kinda takes away the beauty of the counterintuitiveness by proceeding this way. It looks simpler than it is.
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