How do I solve this probability problem with Probability?
I think you are mixing up the "coordinate" of the breaking point with the length of the resulting stick segment. The length of the resulting stick segment is y-x, (if y>x) not y. If we want x and y to be uniformly distributed, it is is useful to think in terms of the length of the leftmost stick segment l1=Min[x,y] and the length of the center stick segment which is l2=Max[x,y]-Min[x,y] (=Abs[x-y])
This seems to be what you want
Block[{t1, t2, t3},
t1 = {1 > x > 0, 1 > y > 0};
t2 = {Min[x, y] + (Max[x, y] - Min[x, y]) > z,
Min[x, y] + z > (Max[x, y] - Min[x, y]), (Max[x, y] - Min[x, y]) +
z > Min[x, y]} /. z -> 1 - Max[x, y];
Print[t2];
Print[t3 = And @@ t1~Join~t2 // FullSimplify];
Probability[t3,
Distributed[x, UniformDistribution[{0, 1}]] &&
Distributed[y, UniformDistribution[{0, 1}]]]]
-> 1/4
Possibly the following is nicer
Block[
{t1, t2, t3, x, y, l1, l2, l3},
t1 = {1 > x > 0, 1 > y > 0};
t2 = {l1 + l2 > l3, l1 + l3 > l2, l2 + l3 > l1} /. {l1 -> Min[x, y],
l2 -> Abs[x - y], l3 -> 1 - Max[x, y]};
Print[t3 = And @@ t1~Join~t2 // FullSimplify];
Probability[t3,
Distributed[x, UniformDistribution[{0, 1}]] &&
Distributed[y, UniformDistribution[{0, 1}]]]]
-> 1/4
Amazingly, the most direct and mindless possible approach works instantaneously.
Start by characterizing the valid side lengths: each side is the shortest distance between its endpoints; the path made by the other two sides cannot be any shorter.
triangleQ[x_, y_, z_] := x <= y + z && y <= z + x && z <= x + y;
Break the stick uniformly and independently at locations $u_1$ and $u_2$:
f = UniformDistribution[{{0, 1}, {0, 1}}];
Noting that the breaks (from left to right) create pieces of length $\min(u_1,u_2)$, $|u_2-u_1|$, and $1 - \max(u_1, u_2)$, request the probability that the pieces form a triangle:
Probability[triangleQ[Min[u1, u2], Abs[u2 - u1], 1 - Max[u1, u2]], {u1, u2} \[Distributed] f ]
$\frac{1}{4}$
Each uniform divides the stick into a smaller and a longer side. If the smaller side of both uniforms coincide (left-left, or right-right) then you won't have a triangle because the rightmost/leftmost division will be longer than 0.5. The odds of this happening is 1/2. If they don't coincide, then you will have a triangle only when the sum of the smallest sides is higher than 0.5. So,
1/2 Probability[
x + y < 1/2, {x, y} \[Distributed]
TransformedDistribution[Min[z, 1 - z],
z \[Distributed] UniformDistribution[]] // Thread]
(* 1/4 *)
By the way
With[{min := Min[x, y], max := Max[x, y]},
RegionPlot[
And @@ Thread[0 < {x, y} < 1] &&
Max[min, max - min, 1 - max ] < 1/2, {x, 0, 1}, {y, 0, 1}]]