Hitting zero on a ring

Points 0,1,,990, 1, \dots, 99 are arranged clockwise on a circle. A token starts at point 11 and each step moves one point clockwise or counter-clockwise with equal probability. What is the expected number of steps until it first reaches point 00?

Show hints (2)+
  1. Cut the ring at 00: it becomes a path 0..1000..100 where both ends are the target (1000100\equiv0).
  2. Gambler's-ruin expected duration from kk with barriers at 00 and NN is k(Nk)k(N-k); here k=1k=1, N=100N=100.

Answer

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99

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Asked at: Jane Street, Two Sigma

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