Math Problem Statement

In a certain Algebra 2 class of 30 students, 12 of them play basketball and 14 of them play baseball. There are 7 students who play neither sport. What is the probability that a student chosen randomly from the class plays both basketball and baseball?

Solution

We are given the following information:

  • Total number of students: 3030
  • Students who play basketball: 1212
  • Students who play baseball: 1414
  • Students who play neither sport: 77

Let's break this down step by step.

Step 1: Determine the number of students who play either basketball or baseball

Since 7 students play neither sport, the number of students who play at least one sport is:

307=2330 - 7 = 23

Step 2: Use the principle of inclusion-exclusion

Let:

  • BB be the set of students who play basketball.
  • AA be the set of students who play baseball.

The total number of students who play either basketball or baseball can be expressed as:

BA=B+ABA|B \cup A| = |B| + |A| - |B \cap A|

Where:

  • B=12|B| = 12 (students who play basketball),
  • A=14|A| = 14 (students who play baseball),
  • BA=23|B \cup A| = 23 (students who play either sport).

Plugging these values into the equation:

23=12+14BA23 = 12 + 14 - |B \cap A|

Solving for BA|B \cap A|, which represents the number of students who play both basketball and baseball:

BA=12+1423=3|B \cap A| = 12 + 14 - 23 = 3

So, 3 students play both basketball and baseball.

Step 3: Calculate the probability

The probability that a student chosen randomly from the class plays both sports is:

P(both)=Number of students who play both sportsTotal number of students=330=110P(\text{both}) = \frac{\text{Number of students who play both sports}}{\text{Total number of students}} = \frac{3}{30} = \frac{1}{10}

Final Answer:

The probability that a randomly chosen student plays both basketball and baseball is 110\frac{1}{10}.


Would you like further details or have any questions about this problem?

Here are some related questions for further exploration:

  1. How would the probability change if 4 students played both basketball and baseball?
  2. What is the probability that a student plays either basketball or baseball?
  3. How can the principle of inclusion-exclusion be applied to other real-life scenarios?
  4. If 2 more students were added to the class, and they both played basketball, how would this affect the probability?
  5. How can you use a Venn diagram to visually represent the situation?

Tip: Always start with the principle of inclusion-exclusion when dealing with overlapping sets. It helps account for double-counted elements!

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Probability
Set Theory
Inclusion-Exclusion Principle

Formulas

|B ∪ A| = |B| + |A| - |B ∩ A|
P(both) = Number of students who play both / Total number of students

Theorems

Principle of Inclusion-Exclusion

Suitable Grade Level

Grade 9-10