Counting and complements · Badminton
The unlucky second seed
A badminton tournament has 16 players in a single-elimination draw, with the draw made completely at random (no seeding). The better player always wins a match. What is the probability that the second-best player finishes as runner-up?
Answer with a probability. First lock in a gut guess with an 80% range, then solve it properly, then watch a simulation settle on the truth.
More in counting and complements
- The Chevalier's bet · Dice
- Best of three · Sports
- Birthdays in the locker room · Sports
- Exactly one pair · Poker
- Never going down · Dice
- No couple side by side · Wedding dinner