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Compute probability in urn with green returns

Last updated: Mar 29, 2026

Quick Overview

This question evaluates understanding of probability theory and combinatorics, focusing on conditional probabilities, stopping-time processes, and how replacement of certain outcomes affects sampling distributions.

  • medium
  • Virtu Financial
  • Statistics & Math
  • Data Scientist

Compute probability in urn with green returns

Company: Virtu Financial

Role: Data Scientist

Category: Statistics & Math

Difficulty: medium

Interview Round: Technical Screen

An urn contains 5 red, 5 blue, and 5 green balls. You repeatedly draw one ball uniformly at random. If the ball is green, immediately return it to the urn and continue; if it is red or blue, keep it. Stop once you are holding three balls (i.e., three non-green balls). 1) What is the probability that at least two of the three held balls are red? 2) Now suppose the urn instead has 10 red, 5 blue, and 5 green balls (same process). First give an intuitive estimate, then compute the exact probability that at least two of the three held balls are red.

Quick Answer: This question evaluates understanding of probability theory and combinatorics, focusing on conditional probabilities, stopping-time processes, and how replacement of certain outcomes affects sampling distributions.

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Virtu Financial
Aug 1, 2025, 12:00 AM
Data Scientist
Technical Screen
Statistics & Math
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Urn Sampling with Replacement for Greens Only

You have an urn with colored balls. You repeatedly draw one ball uniformly at random:

  • If the ball is green, immediately return it to the urn and continue.
  • If the ball is red or blue, keep it out of the urn.
  • Stop once you are holding three balls (i.e., three non-green balls).

This means greens only affect how long it takes, not the colors of the three held balls.

Questions

  1. Case A: The urn contains 5 red, 5 blue, and 5 green balls. What is the probability that at least two of the three held balls are red?
  2. Case B: The urn contains 10 red, 5 blue, and 5 green balls. First give an intuitive estimate, then compute the exact probability that at least two of the three held balls are red.

Solution

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