SOLUTION: Four blue socks four white socks and four gray socks are mixed in a drawer you pull out 2 one at a time. What is the probability of getting a pair of socks the same color?

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Question 320574: Four blue socks four white socks and four gray socks are mixed in a drawer you pull out 2 one at a time. What is the probability of getting a pair of socks the same color?
Answer by jim_thompson5910(35256) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
There are 4 blue + 4 white + 4 gray socks = 12 socks total

So there are essentially three possible scenarios:

1) You pick a blue sock. The chances of you picking another blue sock are: # of blue socks (remaining)/# of socks total (leftover) = 3/11 = 0.2727 which is about a 27.3% chance.

For the other two scenarios, the answer is the same, but the color is different.

2) You pick a white sock. The chances of you picking another white sock are: # of white socks (remaining)/# of socks total (leftover) = 3/11 = 0.2727 which is about a 27.3% chance.

3) You pick a gray sock. The chances of you picking another gray sock are: # of gray socks (remaining)/# of socks total (leftover) = 3/11 = 0.2727 which is about a 27.3% chance.

So no matter what color you choose, the chances of picking a second sock of the same color is about a 27.3% chance.