document.write( "Question 852124: If the probability of a tennis player serving an ace is 1/6, what's the probability that the player will serve 3 aces out of 8 serves?\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "I know it's independent probability. I did it like this:
\n" ); document.write( "for \"non-ace\" results, the prob. is 5/6
\n" ); document.write( "for 8 serves, the prob of 3 aces is:\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "1/6 * 1/6 * 1/6 * 5/6 * 5/6 * 5/6 * 5/6 * 5/6 = 3125/1,679,616 = approx. 0.00186, or 0.186%, or 186/1000.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Am I even close?
\n" ); document.write( "

Algebra.Com's Answer #513162 by Fombitz(32388)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Yes and no.
\n" ); document.write( "I think you've got the concepts but you're missing a lot of terms.
\n" ); document.write( "Since you don't know when the ace is served, the example you gave is only one possible outcome.
\n" ); document.write( "It could have been
\n" ); document.write( "AAANNNNN
\n" ); document.write( "or
\n" ); document.write( "ANAANNNN
\n" ); document.write( "or
\n" ); document.write( "NNNNNAAA
\n" ); document.write( "So you need to capture all of the possible outcomes that each individually have a probability of \"3125%2F6%5E8\"
\n" ); document.write( "You can use Pascal's triangle with 9 terms (1,8,28,56,70,56,28,8,1).
\n" ); document.write( "So for no aces, there is 1 term (NNNNNNNN)
\n" ); document.write( "For 1 ace, 8 terms (ANNNNNNN, NANNNNNN, .... , NNNNNNNA)
\n" ); document.write( "For 2 aces, 28 terms (too many terms to write out)
\n" ); document.write( "For 3 aces, 56 terms.
\n" ); document.write( "So then,\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "\"highlight%28P%283%29=56%2A%281%2F6%29%5E3%2A%285%2F6%29%5E5=0.10419%29\"
\n" ); document.write( "The other terms are,
\n" ); document.write( "\"P%280%29=1%2A%281%2F6%29%5E0%2A%285%2F6%29%5E8=0.23257\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"P%281%29=8%2A%281%2F6%29%5E1%2A%285%2F6%29%5E7=0.37211\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"P%282%29=28%2A%281%2F6%29%5E2%2A%285%2F6%29%5E6=0.26048\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"P%284%29=70%2A%281%2F6%29%5E4%2A%285%2F6%29%5E4=0.02605\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"P%285%29=56%2A%281%2F6%29%5E5%2A%285%2F6%29%5E3=0.00417\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"P%286%29=28%2A%281%2F6%29%5E6%2A%285%2F6%29%5E2=0.00042\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"P%287%29=8%2A%281%2F6%29%5E7%2A%285%2F6%29%5E1+=0.000024\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"P%288%29=1%2A%281%2F6%29%5E8%2A%285%2F6%29%5E0+=0.0000006\"\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "If you add all the terms, they do sum to 1.
\n" ); document.write( "
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