Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/paper-1/12/d/solution

For the forward-moving object to have been waiting at the meeting position, the last move must be a reverse move. The preceding choices must then contain exactly forward moves and reverse moves. Choosing their order gives
At the probability is zero, since the reverse-moving object was already at that unwrapped position initially. At the displayed formula is , consistent with the forward object waiting at its initial position throughout. Equivalently, use the binomial convention to include this endpoint in the same formula without a negative power of .

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