To find the probability of selecting a female student, we need to compare the number of females to the total number of students in the class.
There are 15 freshman females and 12 sophomore females, so the total number of female students is 15 + 12 = 27.
Now, let's calculate the total number of students in the class:
- There are 9 freshman males, 15 freshman females, 8 sophomore males, and 12 sophomore females.
- So, the total number of students is 9 + 15 + 8 + 12 = 44.
To find the probability, we divide the number of favorable outcomes (27) by the total number of possible outcomes (44):
Probability = Number of favorable outcomes / Total number of possible outcomes
Therefore, the probability of selecting a female student is:
Probability = 27 / 44 ≈ 0.6136 (rounded to the nearest hundredths place)
So, the probability of selecting a female student is approximately 0.61.