Alex and his girlfriend Betty board a train at the South Yarra Station on their way to downtown Melbourne. Neither of them has a valid ticket. Love can be blinding and before they know it, there is a ticket inspector next to them asking for their tickets. Caught with their pants down(???), they plead guilty of trying to hitch a free ride. The ticket inspector (a retired statistics professor) is authorised to administer a special punishment for this offence.

He brings out a box of 9 identical chocolates, 3 of which are contaminated with a deadly poison. He makes Alex and Betty, in turn choose and immediately eat a single chocolate.

Question: Is it in Alex’s best interest to persuade Betty to choose first?

(Question based on an idea taken from “ Grimmett”)

ps: Please sent in your comments, it doesn’t have to be mathematical…..