In the secretary problem, there are candidates, totally ranked from best to worst, with no ties. The candidates arrive sequentially, in random order. We can not observe the absolute ranks of the candidates as they arrive, only the relative ranks. Our goal is to choose the best candidate; any other outcome is failure.
In the secretary game, the candidates are represented as balls. The current candidate is colored blue. The applet has buttons for starting a new game, rejecting a candidate, and accepting a candidate. Rejected candidates are colored red; the accepted candidate is colored green. The labels on the balls show the relative ranks of the candidates (1 is best). Once a candidate is accepted, the game is over and the second row of balls shows the absolute ranks. The data table and data graph show the relative frequency of successes and failures. The number (arrival order) of the best candidate, the number of the selected candidate, and the outcome (success or failure) is recorded in the record table for each game. The number of candidates can be varied with a scroll bar.