To find the probability of randomly selecting a type B plant, we first need to determine the total number of seedlings and the number of type B seedlings.
From the table:
- Number of type B seedlings = 140
- Total number of seedlings = 100 (A) + 140 (B) + 80 (C) + 60 (D) + 40 (E) = 520
Now, the probability \( P \) of randomly selecting a type B plant can be calculated using the formula:
\[ P(\text{type B}) = \frac{\text{Number of type B seedlings}}{\text{Total number of seedlings}} = \frac{140}{520} \]
Next, we simplify the fraction \( \frac{140}{520} \):
- Find the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 140 and 520. The GCD is 20.
- Divide both the numerator and the denominator by 20:
- \( \frac{140 \div 20}{520 \div 20} = \frac{7}{26} \)
Therefore, the probability of randomly picking a type B plant is
\[ \frac{7}{26} \]
in its simplest form.