Math Problem Statement
If there are 4 male students and 4 female students, 5 students are chose randomly for a math competition, what are the probability that there are exactly 2 students who are male in the 5 chosen.
Solution
To solve this problem, we will calculate the probability that exactly 2 of the 5 chosen students are male, given that there are 4 male and 4 female students in total.
Steps to Solve:
-
Total number of students:
There are male students and female students, so there are students in total. -
Total number of ways to choose 5 students from 8:
This can be calculated using combinations. The number of ways to choose 5 students from 8 is: -
Number of ways to choose exactly 2 male students:
We need to choose 2 male students from the 4 male students, which can be done in: -
Number of ways to choose 3 female students:
Since we are choosing 2 males, we will need to choose female students from the 4 females, which can be done in: -
Number of favorable outcomes:
The number of ways to choose exactly 2 males and 3 females is the product of the two combinations: -
Probability:
The probability is the ratio of favorable outcomes to the total outcomes:
Final Answer:
The probability that exactly 2 of the 5 chosen students are male is .
Would you like more details, or do you have any questions?
Here are 5 follow-up questions to expand your understanding:
- How would the probability change if there were 5 male students instead of 4?
- What is the probability of selecting exactly 3 males and 2 females?
- How can you generalize this problem to any number of males and females?
- How would you calculate the probability of selecting at least one male?
- How does the total number of combinations change if we increase the total number of students?
Tip: Remember that combinations are used when the order of selection does not matter!
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Math Problem Analysis
Mathematical Concepts
Combinatorics
Probability
Formulas
Combination formula: C(n, k) = n! / (k!(n-k)!)
Probability formula: P(Event) = Favorable Outcomes / Total Outcomes
Theorems
Basic Combinatorics
Probability Theorem
Suitable Grade Level
Grades 9-12
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