Akuna Capital Quantitative Researcher Intern Interview Question
Quantitative research interviews at top trading firms such as Akuna Capital are known for their challenging probability and brainteaser questions. One classic problem that often appears in these interviews involves analyzing the expected number of coin tosses required to achieve two consecutive heads. This question elegantly tests your understanding of probability, Markov processes, and expectation calculation. In this comprehensive article, we break down the problem, discuss relevant concepts, and provide a detailed, step-by-step solution, ensuring that you are well-prepared for your Akuna Capital Quantitative Researcher Intern interview.
The interview question asks: "Suppose you flip a fair coin repeatedly. What is the expected number of tosses required to get two consecutive heads (i.e., HH) for the first time?"
This is a classic problem in probability theory and tests your ability to model random processes and compute expectations.
