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Five 6-sided dice are rolled. what is the probability that exactly two of the dice show a 1 or a 2?

User Shaquawna
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Final answer:

The probability of exactly two out of five 6-sided dice showing a 1 or 2 is found using the binomial probability formula and is 80/243.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves calculating the probability that exactly two out of five 6-sided dice show a 1 or a 2.

Each die has a 1/3 chance of showing 1 or 2, and 2/3 chance of showing another number.

The probability of exactly two dice showing 1 or 2 can be calculated using the binomial probability formula:

P(X=k) = C(n, k) * (p^k) * ((1-p)^(n-k))

where:

  • C(n, k) = Number of combinations of n items taken k at a time
  • n = Total number of trials (in this case, 5 dice)
  • k = Number of successful trials (in this case, 2 dice showing 1 or 2)
  • p = Probability of a single successful trial (1 or 2 showing on a die, which is 1/3)
  • 1-p = Probability of a single unsuccessful trial

Using this formula, we find:

P(X=2) = C(5, 2) * (1/3)^2 * (2/3)^3

C(5, 2) is the number of ways to pick 2 successful dice out of 5, which is 10. Therefore:

P(X=2) = 10 * (1/9) * (8/27) = 10 * (8/243) = 80/243

The probability of exactly two dice showing a 1 or 2, when five 6-sided dice are rolled is 80/243.

User Nathanesau
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