Question

You have 3 runners: Brad, Tim, and Ed. What is the probability that they finish with Brad in 1st, Tim in 2nd, and Ed in 3rd?

a) 1/3
b) 1/6
c) 1/2
d) 1/9

Answer 1

The probability that Brad finishes 1st, Tim finishes 2nd, and Ed finishes 3rd is 1/6.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the probability that Brad finishes in 1st place, we know that there are 3 runners, so the probability of Brad finishing 1st is 1/3.

After Brad finishes, there are now 2 remaining runners. The probability that Tim finishes in 2nd place is 1/2, as there are 2 possible outcomes: Tim finishes 2nd or Ed finishes 2nd.

Finally, there is only 1 runner left, Ed, and he can only finish in 3rd place.

Since these events are independent, we multiply the probabilities together to find the overall probability. Therefore, the probability that Brad finishes 1st, Tim finishes 2nd, and Ed finishes 3rd is:

(1/3) x (1/2) x (1/1) = 1/6