Math Problem Statement

On a 9-question multiple-choice test, where each question has 4 answers, what would be the probability of getting at least one question wrong?

Solution

To solve this problem, we need to calculate the probability of getting at least one question wrong on a 9-question multiple-choice test where each question has 4 possible answers.

Step-by-Step Solution

  1. Probability of Getting One Question Right: Each question has 4 choices, and only 1 is correct. So, the probability of selecting the correct answer for any given question is: 14\frac{1}{4}

  2. Probability of Getting All Questions Right: Since there are 9 questions and each question must be answered correctly to get them all right, the probability of getting all 9 questions correct is: (14)9=149\left(\frac{1}{4}\right)^9 = \frac{1}{4^9}

  3. Probability of Getting At Least One Question Wrong: The probability of getting at least one question wrong is the complement of getting all questions right. So, we calculate this as: 11491 - \frac{1}{4^9}

  4. Calculating 494^9: 49=2621444^9 = 262144, so: 11262144=2621441262144=2621432621441 - \frac{1}{262144} = \frac{262144 - 1}{262144} = \frac{262143}{262144}

Final Answer

The probability of getting at least one question wrong is: 262143262144\frac{262143}{262144}

Would you like further details on this solution or have any questions?


Here are some related questions for further exploration:

  1. What would the probability be of getting exactly one question wrong on this test?
  2. How would the probability change if each question had only 3 answers instead of 4?
  3. What is the probability of getting at least two questions wrong on a similar test?
  4. How does the probability change if the test has more questions, say 12 instead of 9?
  5. How can we generalize this problem for a test with nn questions and mm answer choices per question?

Tip: In probability problems, using complements (like calculating the probability of "at least one wrong" by finding "all correct" first) often simplifies the calculations.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Probability
Complement Rule

Formulas

Probability of correct answer = 1/4
Probability of all correct answers = (1/4)^9
Probability of at least one wrong answer = 1 - (1/4)^9

Theorems

Complementary Probability

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 9-12