Bertrand's Paradox (TANTON Mathematics) @DrJamesTanton

Uploaded June 2010 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

In the late 1800s French mathematician Bertrand proposed a disturbing paradox which seems to lead one to think that one third equals one half which equals one quarter. It shook the foundations of probability theory.

Let's examine - and explain - the paradox!

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