Ryan has a pack of 10 pens. 3 pens are red, 4 are black, and 3 are blue. What are the chances that he pulls out a red pen and a black pen? Assume that the pens are pulled without replacement. Round to the nearest whole number.(1 point)

percent

1 answer

To find the probability that Ryan pulls out a red pen and a black pen without replacement, we can follow these steps:

  1. Calculate the probability of pulling out a red pen first:

    • There are 3 red pens out of 10 total pens.
    • Probability of pulling a red pen first = \( \frac{3}{10} \).
  2. After pulling out a red pen, calculate the probability of pulling out a black pen next:

    • After pulling out 1 red pen, there would be 9 pens left (2 red, 4 black, 3 blue).
    • Probability of pulling a black pen after pulling a red pen = \( \frac{4}{9} \).
  3. Now calculate the combined probability:

    • Combined probability = Probability of red first * Probability of black second \[ P(\text{Red first, Black second}) = \frac{3}{10} \times \frac{4}{9} = \frac{12}{90} = \frac{2}{15} \]
  4. Now, calculate the probability of pulling a black pen first and then a red pen:

    • Probability of pulling a black pen first = \( \frac{4}{10} \).

    • After pulling out 1 black pen, there would again be 9 pens left (3 red, 3 black, 3 blue).

    • Probability of pulling a red pen next = \( \frac{3}{9} = \frac{1}{3} \).

    • Combined probability for this scenario: \[ P(\text{Black first, Red second}) = \frac{4}{10} \times \frac{1}{3} = \frac{4}{30} = \frac{2}{15} \]

  5. Add the probabilities of both scenarios: \[ P(\text{Red and Black}) = P(\text{Red first, Black second}) + P(\text{Black first, Red second}) = \frac{2}{15} + \frac{2}{15} = \frac{4}{15} \]

  6. Convert the probability to a percentage: \[ \text{Percentage} = \left( \frac{4}{15} \times 100 \right) \text{ percent} = \frac{400}{15} \approx 26.67% \]

  7. Round to the nearest whole number: \[ \approx 27% \]

Therefore, the chances that Ryan pulls out a red pen and a black pen are approximately 27 percent.