SOLUTION: Two men (Jim and Bob) and three women (Ann, Beth, and Carol) are on a committee. Two of the five are to be chosen to serve as officers. What is the probability that the first on

Algebra ->  Probability-and-statistics -> SOLUTION: Two men (Jim and Bob) and three women (Ann, Beth, and Carol) are on a committee. Two of the five are to be chosen to serve as officers. What is the probability that the first on      Log On


   



Question 1175707: Two men (Jim and Bob) and three women (Ann,
Beth, and Carol) are on a committee. Two of the
five are to be chosen to serve as officers. What is
the probability that the first one is a man and followed by a woman? Assume no replacement?

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

This problem formulation is  INCORRECT,  INCONSISTENT  and  CONFUSING.

As the question is printed,   "What is the probability that the first one is a man and followed by a woman?"


But in this problem  NO  ONE  is the  "first",  and equally,  no one is the  "second".


A correct question should be  "What is the probability that one of the two selected persons is a man and the other is a woman?"


In this forum,  I regularly see  (every day several times)  incorrectly formulated problems and questions.