ou are dealt one card from a​ 52-card deck. Find the probability that you are dealt an eight or a black card.

1 answer

To find the probability of being dealt either an eight or a black card from a standard 52-card deck, we can use the principle of inclusion-exclusion.

  1. Count the total number of favorable outcomes:

    • Number of eights in a deck: There are 4 eights (one for each suit: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades).

    • Number of black cards in a deck: There are 26 black cards (13 clubs and 13 spades).

    • Number of eights that are black cards: There are 2 black eights (the eight of clubs and the eight of spades).

  2. Use the inclusion-exclusion principle: \[ P(\text{eight or black}) = P(\text{eight}) + P(\text{black}) - P(\text{eight and black}) \]

  3. Calculate each probability:

    • \( P(\text{eight}) = \frac{4}{52} \)
    • \( P(\text{black}) = \frac{26}{52} \)
    • \( P(\text{eight and black}) = \frac{2}{52} \)
  4. Combine the probabilities: \[ P(\text{eight or black}) = \frac{4}{52} + \frac{26}{52} - \frac{2}{52} \] \[ P(\text{eight or black}) = \frac{4 + 26 - 2}{52} = \frac{28}{52} \]

  5. Simplify the fraction: \[ P(\text{eight or black}) = \frac{28}{52} = \frac{7}{13} \]

Thus, the probability that you are dealt an eight or a black card is \(\frac{7}{13}\).