Math Problem Statement

winning a jackpot in a lottery requires that you select the correct 2 numbers between 1 and 57 and, in a separate drawing, you must also select the correct single number between 1 and 33. find the probability of winning the jackpot.

Solution

To find the probability of winning the jackpot in this lottery, we need to calculate the chances of two independent events:

  1. Selecting the correct 2 numbers between 1 and 57.
  2. Selecting the correct single number between 1 and 33.

Step 1: Probability of selecting 2 correct numbers between 1 and 57

The number of ways to choose 2 numbers from 57 is a combination, calculated as:

(572)=57×562!=57×562=1,596\binom{57}{2} = \frac{57 \times 56}{2!} = \frac{57 \times 56}{2} = 1,596

So, there are 1,596 different ways to choose 2 numbers from 57.

The probability of selecting the 2 correct numbers is:

P1=1(572)=11,596P_1 = \frac{1}{\binom{57}{2}} = \frac{1}{1,596}

Step 2: Probability of selecting the correct single number between 1 and 33

The probability of selecting the correct single number between 1 and 33 is:

P2=133P_2 = \frac{1}{33}

Step 3: Overall probability

Since these events are independent, we multiply the probabilities of each event:

Pjackpot=P1×P2=11,596×133=152,668P_{\text{jackpot}} = P_1 \times P_2 = \frac{1}{1,596} \times \frac{1}{33} = \frac{1}{52,668}

So, the probability of winning the jackpot is:

Pjackpot=152,668P_{\text{jackpot}} = \frac{1}{52,668}

Final Answer:

The probability of winning the jackpot is 152,668\frac{1}{52,668}, or approximately 0.00001898 (about 0.0019%).


Would you like a detailed explanation of the combination formula or any part of this calculation?

Here are 5 follow-up questions:

  1. How does the combination formula work in other scenarios?
  2. What is the difference between independent and dependent events in probability?
  3. How does the probability change if the range of numbers increases?
  4. What are the odds of winning other lottery formats?
  5. How can probability theory apply to real-life decision-making?

Tip: Always remember to account for whether events are independent or dependent when calculating joint probabilities!

Ask a new question for Free

By Image

Drop file here or Click Here to upload

Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Probability
Combinatorics
Independent Events

Formulas

Combination formula: C(n, k) = n! / [k!(n - k)!]
Probability of independent events: P(A and B) = P(A) * P(B)

Theorems

Combination Theorem
Multiplication Rule of Probability for Independent Events

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 9-12