Final answer:
The probability of selecting the five of spades or the seven of clubs from a standard 52-card deck is 1/26, calculated by adding the individual probabilities of each card since they are mutually exclusive events.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks to find the probability of selecting a specific card, the five of spades or the seven of clubs, from a standard 52-card deck. Each card in a deck is unique, so there is only one five of spades and one seven of clubs in the entire deck.
Since these are two separate and mutually exclusive events (a card cannot be both the five of spades and the seven of clubs), we can find the probability of either event occurring by adding their individual probabilities.
The probability of drawing the five of spades is 1/52, and the same goes for the seven of clubs. Therefore, the probability of drawing either the five of spades or the seven of clubs is:
Probability(five of spades or seven of clubs) = Probability(five of spades) + Probability(seven of clubs) = 1/52 + 1/52 = 2/52 = 1/26.
So, the probability of selecting the five of spades or the seven of clubs is 1/26.