Solution
De Méré's Wager
Show the problem again
What is the probability of rolling at least one six in four rolls of a fair die? Express as a fraction.
Worked solution
The answer is 671/1296 ≈ 0.5177. Use the complement: the probability of no six in four rolls is (5/6)^4 = 625/1296. So P(at least one six) = 1 − 625/1296 = 671/1296, slightly better than even. This is the famous bet that led de Méré to consult Pascal, helping launch probability theory.
Source: From the Chevalier de Mere's questions to Blaise Pascal, and the Pascal-Fermat correspondence of 1654. Statement written for AxiomIQ.