Josephus problem

proper noun

A theoretical problem in which every nth person, counting around a circle of people, is chosen for execution, and this process repeats after the removal of each chosen person, with the last person left being freed. The problem is to select one's position so as to be the last to be chosen.

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Meanings

proper nounthe Josephus problem
  1. mathematicsA theoretical problem in which every nth person, counting around a circle of people, is chosen for execution, and this process repeats after the removal of each chosen person, with the last person left being freed. The problem is to select one's position so as to be the last to be chosen.

Origin

Named after Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian of the 1st century, who describes such a situation in his account of the siege of Yodfat.

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Cite this entry
APA

Josephus problem. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Josephus%20problem

MLA

“Josephus problem.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Josephus%20problem. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Josephus problem,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Josephus%20problem.

Source: Josephus problem on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.