Question

All the runners in a charity race get free T-shirts. So far, 73 people have taken size small, and 73 people have taken other sizes. What is the experimental probability that the next runner to pick up his or her T-shirt wears a size small?
Write your answer as a fraction or whole number.
P(small)=

Answer 1

To find the experimental probability that the next runner picks a size small T-shirt, we need to determine the total number of runners and how many of those have chosen size small.

The number of runners who have taken size small is 73, and the number of runners who have taken other sizes is also 73. Therefore, the total number of runners is:

\[
\text{Total runners} = \text{size small runners} + \text{other size runners} = 73 + 73 = 146
\]

Now, the experimental probability \( P(\text{small}) \) of a runner choosing a size small T-shirt is given by the formula:

\[
P(\text{small}) = \frac{\text{Number of runners who chose size small}}{\text{Total number of runners}} = \frac{73}{146}
\]

Now, we can simplify this fraction. Both the numerator and denominator can be divided by 73:

\[
\frac{73}{146} = \frac{1}{2}
\]

Thus, the experimental probability that the next runner to pick up a T-shirt wears a size small is:

\[
P(\text{small}) = \frac{1}{2}
\]