1994 Paper 2 Q13

Year: 1994
Paper: 2
Question Number: 13

Course: LFM Stats And Pure
Section: Geometric Distribution

Difficulty: 1600.0 Banger: 1629.1

Problem

The makers of Cruncho (`The Cereal Which Cares') are giving away a series of cards depicting \(n\) great mathematicians. Each packet of Cruncho contains one picture chosen at random. Show that when I have collected \(r\) different cards the expected number of packets I must open to find a new card is \(n/(n-r)\) where \(0\leqslant r\leqslant n-1.\) Show by means of a diagram, or otherwise, that \[ \frac{1}{r+1}\leqslant\int_{r}^{r+1}\frac{1}{x}\,\mathrm{d}x\leqslant\frac{1}{r} \] and deduce that \[ \sum_{r=2}^{n}\frac{1}{r}\leqslant\ln n\leqslant\sum_{r=1}^{n-1}\frac{1}{r} \] for all \(n\geqslant2.\) My children will give me no peace until we have the complete set of cards, but I am the only person in our household prepared to eat Cruncho and my spouse will only buy the stuff if I eat it. If \(n\) is large, roughly how many packets must I expect to consume before we have the set?

No solution available for this problem.

Rating Information

Difficulty Rating: 1600.0

Difficulty Comparisons: 0

Banger Rating: 1629.1

Banger Comparisons: 15

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Problem source
The makers of Cruncho (`The Cereal Which Cares') are giving away a
series of cards depicting $n$ great mathematicians. Each packet of
Cruncho contains one picture chosen at random. Show that when I have
collected $r$ different cards the expected number of packets I must
open to find a new card is $n/(n-r)$ where $0\leqslant r\leqslant n-1.$

Show by means of a diagram, or otherwise, that 
\[
\frac{1}{r+1}\leqslant\int_{r}^{r+1}\frac{1}{x}\,\mathrm{d}x\leqslant\frac{1}{r}
\]
and deduce that 
\[
\sum_{r=2}^{n}\frac{1}{r}\leqslant\ln n\leqslant\sum_{r=1}^{n-1}\frac{1}{r}
\]
for all $n\geqslant2.$ 

My children will give me no peace until we have the complete set of
cards, but I am the only person in our household prepared to eat Cruncho
and my spouse will only buy the stuff if I eat it. If $n$ is large,
roughly how many packets must I expect to consume before we have the
set?