SOLUTION: Two dice are rolled. What is the probability of getting a sum of at least 5?

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Question 376177: Two dice are rolled. What is the probability of getting a sum of at least 5?

Answer by Edwin McCravy(20056) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!

Here is the sample space. It contains 36 possible outcomes:
 
(1,1)  (1,2)   (1,3)  (1,4)   (1,5)  (1,6)
 
(2,1)  (2,2)   (2,3)  (2,4)   (2,5)  (2,6)
 
(3,1)  (3,2)   (3,3)  (3,4)   (3,5)  (3,6)
 
(4,1)  (4,2)   (4,3)  (4,4)   (4,5)  (4,6)
 
(5,1)  (5,2)   (5,3)  (5,4)   (5,5)  (5,6)
 
(6,1)  (6,2)   (6,3)  (6,4)   (6,5)  (6,6)
 


Now I will color the ones red which have a sum of at least 5:
 


(1,1)  (1,2)   (1,3)  (1,4)   (1,5)  (1,6)
 
(2,1)  (2,2)   (2,3)  (2,4)   (2,5)  (2,6)
 
(3,1)  (3,2)   (3,3)  (3,4)   (3,5)  (3,6)
 
(4,1)  (4,2)   (4,3)  (4,4)   (4,5)  (4,6)
 
(5,1)  (5,2)   (5,3)  (5,4)   (5,5)  (5,6)
 
(6,1)  (6,2)   (6,3)  (6,4)   (6,5)  (6,6)


Count the red ones.  There are 30 of them. (it's easier to count the
6 non-red ones and subtract from 36 to get 30).

So the probability of a sum of at least 5 is 30 out of 36, which gives
us the fraction 30%2F36 which reduces to 5%2F6.

Edwin