Math Is Fun Forum

Scar

Member

Registered: 2020-03-27

Posts: 1

statistics

Hello, can someone please help me with this difficult exercise! All holly plants are dioecious-a male plant must be planted within 30 TO 40  feet of the female plants in order to yield barriers. A home improvement store has 14 unmarked holly plants for sale, 9 which are females. If a homeowner buys 3 plants at random. What is the probability that berries will be produced? Please please any hlep or hint it will be trully appreciated.

Fruityloop

Member

Registered: 2009-05-18

Posts: 143

Re: statistics

(9C1*5C2)/(14C3) + (9C2*5C1)/(14C3)

I don't understand the 30 to 40 foot thing.  How does that affect the answer?

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,626

Re: statistics

hi Scar

Welcome to the forum.

Sometimes it's easier to calculate the probability that it won't happen and then subtract from 1.  You won't get berries if you buy all male or all female plants  so you could do this:

1 - P(all male) - P(all female)

Bob

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Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob