Math Problem Statement
There are 6 girls and 4 boys running a race. What is the probability that only girls will finish in the top three places and a boy in the last place?
Solution
We need to calculate the probability that all top three places are taken by girls, and the last place is taken by a boy. Here's how we approach the problem:
Step 1: Total number of ways to arrange all the participants
There are 6 girls and 4 boys, making a total of 10 participants. The total number of ways to arrange 10 participants in 10 places is:
Step 2: Favorable arrangements
We want the top three places to be occupied by girls and the last place to be taken by a boy. The number of favorable outcomes can be broken into two parts:
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Top 3 places: The top 3 places should be filled by 3 girls out of the 6 girls. The number of ways to choose and arrange 3 girls from 6 is:
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Last place: The last place should be taken by one boy. There are 4 boys, so the number of ways to choose 1 boy for the last place is:
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Remaining 6 places: The remaining 6 places (positions 4 to 9) are filled by the remaining 3 girls and 3 boys. The number of ways to arrange these 6 participants is:
Thus, the total number of favorable outcomes is:
Step 3: Probability calculation
The probability is the ratio of favorable outcomes to the total number of outcomes:
So, the probability is approximately or 9.52%.
Would you like more details on any step or any related questions? Here are 5 more questions you might find interesting:
- What if we wanted only boys in the top three places?
- How would the problem change if there were an equal number of boys and girls?
- What if the top three places were all girls, but the last place could be anyone?
- How would the probability change if we were to choose from a larger group of boys and girls?
- Can we calculate the probability for different finishing positions (e.g., top 5 places)?
Tip: When dealing with probability problems involving arrangements, breaking the problem into smaller parts can simplify the solution.
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Math Problem Analysis
Mathematical Concepts
Combinatorics
Permutations
Probability
Formulas
Total arrangements of n participants: n!
Permutations formula: P(n, k) = n! / (n - k)!
Probability formula: favorable outcomes / total outcomes
Theorems
Basic principles of permutations and combinations
Probability theorem
Suitable Grade Level
Grades 10-12
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