Example: 7 | |
A pair of dice is rolled until a sum of either
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Solution: 7 | |
A sum of
from a total number of
Similarly, let the event
so that
Finally, if we let
Now, we want a sum of
Therefore, the following (mutually exclusive) sequences of throws leads us to a sum of
The required probability is obtained by adding the terms in the right column.
In passing, note that the probability of obtaining a
Can you appreciate why obtaining a
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Example: 8 | |
Two unit squares are chosen at random from a standard chessboard. What is the probability that the two squares have exactly one corner in common?
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Solution: 8 | |
The total number of ways of selecting two squares from a standard chessboard is simply
Now, let us find the number of ways of selecting a pair with exactly one corner in common. For that, consider the following figure.
It is immediately evident that the number of favorable ways is
The required probability is
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