SOLUTION: Maddox has a container with 24 quarters, 12 dimes, 36 nickels, and 28 pennies. He selected one coin at random and returned it to the container. Then, he selected a second coin at r

Algebra ->  Probability-and-statistics -> SOLUTION: Maddox has a container with 24 quarters, 12 dimes, 36 nickels, and 28 pennies. He selected one coin at random and returned it to the container. Then, he selected a second coin at r      Log On


   

Question 968819: Maddox has a container with 24 quarters, 12 dimes, 36 nickels, and 28 pennies. He selected one coin at random and returned it to the container. Then, he selected a second coin at random.
What is the probability that the first coin chosen is a quarter and the second coin chosen is a nickel?
Answer by Edwin McCravy(20056) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Think of the probability of an event as the fraction of the time the event
will occur.

There are 24+12+36+28=100 coins.

He will choose a quarter the first time 24 times out of 100, or 24/100ths
or 6/25ths of the time.

Then out of each 100 times when he draws a quarter first, he will choose a nickel
36/100ths or 9/25ths of those times.

So he will draw a nickel second 9/25ths of the 6/25th of the time that he
draws a quarter first.

So the probability is (9/25)(6/25) = 54/625 or about 8.64% of the time.

Edwin