You pick a card at random. Without putting the first card back, you pick a second card at random.

1
2
3
4

What is the probability of picking a 4 and then picking a divisor of 24?

Write your answer as a decimal.

1 answer

To determine the probability of picking a 4 and then picking a divisor of 24, we first need to identify what the possible cards are and the relevant divisors of 24.

Step 1: Identify the total cards

Assuming the numbers on the cards are 1, 2, 3, and 4, there are 4 total cards.

Step 2: Identify the divisors of 24

The divisors of 24 are:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 6
  • 8
  • 12
  • 24

From these, only the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 are available on the cards. Therefore, the divisors of 24 that we can pick are 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Step 3: Calculate the probability

Probability of picking a 4 first:

Since there are 4 cards total and only one of them is a 4, the probability of picking a 4 first is: \[ P(\text{pick 4}) = \frac{1}{4} \]

Probability of picking a divisor of 24 second:

After picking a 4, there are 3 cards left (1, 2, and 3) out of which all are divisors of 24. Thus, the probability of picking a divisor of 24 (1, 2, or 3) second is: \[ P(\text{pick divisor of 24} | \text{picked 4 first}) = \frac{3}{3} = 1 \]

Step 4: Combined probability

The combined probability of both events occurring (picking a 4 first and then picking a divisor of 24) is calculated by multiplying the individual probabilities: \[ P(\text{pick 4 and then a divisor of 24}) = P(\text{pick 4}) \times P(\text{pick divisor of 24} | \text{picked 4 first}) = \frac{1}{4} \times 1 = \frac{1}{4} \]

Step 5: Convert to decimal

To express the probability as a decimal: \[ \frac{1}{4} = 0.25 \]

Final Answer

Thus, the probability of picking a 4 and then picking a divisor of 24 is: \[ \boxed{0.25} \]