SOLUTION: What is the probability of drawing a yellow marble or a red marble from a bag containing 12 yellow marbles, 16 red marbles, and 15 green marbles?

Question 101000: What is the probability of drawing a yellow marble or a red marble from a bag containing 12 yellow marbles, 16 red marbles, and 15 green marbles?
Answer by bucky(2189) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
This problem is worded a little badly, so let's answer it as best we can.
.
There is a total of 43 marbles in the bag (12 + 16 + 15 = 43). Since there are 12 yellow
marbles in the bag, the probability of reaching into the bag and blindly drawing a yellow
marble is 12 out of 43 or 12 divided by 43 which is approximately 0.2791 which is equivalent
to 27.91 percent.
.
Similarly, the probability of reaching into the bag and blindly drawing a red marble is
16 out of 43 (since there are 16 red marbles) and this is 16 divided by 43 which is approximately
0.3721 or 37.21 percent.
.
If the problem meant that you reach into the bag and what are the chances that you draw
either a yellow or a red marble, then you have a 28 out of 43 chance of being successful
because the total number of marbles you could draw is 12 yellow plus 16 red which is
28 marbles of the total 43 marbles. And 28 divided by 43 is approximately 0.6512 or 65.12 percent.
.
Notice that this probability is equal to the sum of the probability of drawing a yellow
marble plus the probability of drawing a red marble (27.91 + 37.21 = 65.12 percent.)
.
Hope this helps you to understand the problem.
.

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