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A box contains 15 resistors. Ten of them are labeled 502 and the other five are labeled 100 Ω.

What is the probability that the first resistor is 100 Ω?

User Francisco
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Final answer:

The probability that the first resistor drawn is a 100 Ω resistor is calculated by dividing the number of 100 Ω resistors by the total number of resistors in the box, resulting in a probability of 1/3 or 33.33%.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves calculating the probability of an event, which falls under the subject of Mathematics. Specifically, we are looking at an example from the topic of probability in the high school curriculum. The event in question is drawing a 100 Ω resistor from a box containing a total of 15 resistors of two different types.

To determine the probability, we divide the number of favorable outcomes by the total number of possible outcomes. In this case, there are 5 resistors labeled 100 Ω, which represent our favorable outcomes, and a total of 15 resistors in the box. Therefore, the probability of drawing a 100 Ω resistor on the first try is:

Probability = Number of 100 Ω resistors / Total number of resistors = 5 / 15 = 1 / 3

Thus, the probability that the first resistor drawn is a 100 Ω resistor is 1/3 or approximately 0.3333 (33.33%).

User Vshenoy
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