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| Question 1194761:  There is a rack of 14 billiard balls. Balls numbered 1 through 8 are solid-colored. Balls numbered 9 through 14 contain stripes. If one ball is selected at random, determine the odds against  it being striped.
 
 Answer by math_tutor2020(3817)
      (Show Source): 
You can put this solution on YOUR website! A = number of striped balls
 A = 14-9+1 = 6
 
 B = number of non-striped (aka solid-colored) balls
 B = 8
 
 The odds against getting a striped ball is B:A = 8:6 = 4:3 which is the final answer
 
 When forming the odds against ratio, we list the number of things we don't want (the non-striped balls), a colon, then we list the number of things we do want (the striped balls). The ratio 8:6 reduces to 4:3 after dividing both parts by the GCF 2.
 
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 If you wanted, you could think of it like this
 A = number of successes
 B = number of failures
 B:A = odds against event A happening
 
 On the flip side
 A:B = odds in favor of event A happening
 
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