General
The Socks in the Dark Riddle (With Answer)
A drawer has 10 black socks and 10 white socks. What is the minimum number of socks to draw (in the dark) to guarantee a matching pair?
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What is the answer to the socks in the dark riddle?
The answer is 3. With only two colours, the first two socks might differ, but a third sock must match one of them, guaranteeing a pair.
Why isn't the answer 2?
Two socks could be one black and one white, so they would not match. You need a third to be certain of a matching pair.
Does the number of socks in the drawer matter?
No. Whether there are 10 of each or 1,000 of each, with two colours you still only need 3 draws to guarantee a matching pair.