Home / Series / Stand-up Maths / Aired Order / Season 2024 / Episode 32

Is a truly secret Santa possible?

With a trusted 3rd party, running Secret Santa is easy: The 3rd party labels each person 1,…,n, and then randomly chooses a derangement from among all possible derangements of n numbers. Person i will then give a gift to the number in position i of the derangement. The trusted 3rd party is responsible for keeping the derangement secure, and for telling each person whom to give a gift to. The question is: Is there an algorithm that would allow Secret Santa to be played without a trusted 3rd party?

English
  • Originally Aired December 23, 2024
  • Runtime 32 minutes
  • Created December 24, 2024 by
    Skelnik
  • Modified December 24, 2024 by
    Skelnik