Question

if tony spins a spinner with 26 equal spaces (a-z) what is the theoretical probability that he will land on any letter in the word hippopotamas .
1/6, 9/26, 6/13, 2/13

Answer 1

To calculate the theoretical probability of landing on any letter in the word "hippopotamus" using a spinner with 26 equal spaces (representing the letters a-z), we first need to identify the unique letters in "hippopotamus".

The unique letters in "hippopotamus" are:
- h
- i
- p
- o
- t
- a
- m
- u
- s

Counting these gives us 9 unique letters.

The probability of landing on any letter from "hippopotamus" can be calculated by dividing the number of successful outcomes (the unique letters) by the total number of possible outcomes (the letters a-z), which is 26.

\[
P(\text{landing on a letter in "hippopotamus"}) = \frac{\text{Number of unique letters in "hippopotamus"}}{\text{Total letters (a-z)}}
\]

\[
P = \frac{9}{26}
\]

Now, we can compare this probability to the options given:
- \( \frac{1}{6} \)
- \( \frac{9}{26} \)
- \( \frac{6}{13} \)
- \( \frac{2}{13} \)

The theoretical probability that Tony will land on any letter in the word "hippopotamus" is \( \frac{9}{26} \).