SOLUTION: There are 9 students in a class: 7 boys and 2 girls. If the teacher picks a group of 3 at random, what is the probability that everyone in the group is a boy?

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Question 851271: There are 9 students in a class: 7 boys and 2 girls.
If the teacher picks a group of 3 at random, what is the probability that everyone in the group is a boy?

Found 3 solutions by ewatrrr, KOlszewski, ikleyn:
Answer by ewatrrr(24785) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
 
Hi,
9 students in a class: 7 boys and 2 girls.
picks a group of 3 at random
P(all boys) = %287%2F9%29%286%2F8%29%285%2F7%29

Answer by KOlszewski(2) About Me  (Show Source):
Answer by ikleyn(52781) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.

In this problem, the space of events is the set of all possible different groups of 3 persons that can be formed of 7+2 = 9 students.

The number of such groups is  C%5B9%5D%5E3 = %289%2A8%2A7%29%2F%281%2A2%2A3%29 = 84.

It is the number of events in the space of events.


Of them, the favorable set is the set of all different groups that can be formed of 7 boys.

The number of such groups is  C%5B7%5D%5E3 = %287%2A6%2A5%29%2F%281%2A2%2A3%29 = 35.


The probability under the problem's question is the ratio of the numer of favorable events (35) to the number of all possible outcomes (84)


    P = 35%2F84 = 5%2F12 = 0.4167 = 41.67%  (approximately).    ANSWER


There is another way to get the SAME answer.

The probability that the first selected student is a boy is  7%2F9.

If the first selected student is a boy, then the probability that the second selected student is a boy is  6%2F8.

If the first and the second selected students are boys, then the probability that the third selected student is a boy is  5%2F7.

Thus the probability under the problem's question is


    %287%2F9%29%2A%286%2F8%29%2A%285%2F7%29 = 0.4167 = 41.67%.

Solved.