Question

Amelia has 10 coins in her pocket. She has 3 nickels, 2 quarters, 3 dimes, and 2 pennies. Amelia chooses a coin at random.What is the probability that she selects a nickel or a penny from her pocket?

Answer 1

It is given that there are ten coins:

• 3 nickels

,

• 2 quarters

,

• 3 dimes

,

• 2 pennies

It is required to find the probability that a nickel or a penny was selected.

Recall the formula for the probability of an event:

`P=\frac{\text{ Number of favorable outcomes}}{\text{ Total number of possible outcomes}}`

The total number of coins is 10. Hence, the number of possible outcomes is 10.

The number of nickels or pennies is 3+2=5. Hence, the number of favorable outcomes is 5.

Substitute these values into the probability formula:

`P=(5)/(10)=(1)/(2)`

The answer is 1/2.