A drawer is filled with 2 black shirts, 7 white shirts, and 11 gray shirts. One shirt is chosen at random from the drawer. Find the probability that it is not a black shirt.

Question

i would hope that the answer is not that complicated

Answer 1

Hello Quintin,

This is what we call an example of classical probability. You have 20 possible outcomes. Two black shirts, 7 white shirts, and 11 gray shirts in the drawer.

This will be your denominator.

You are making only one draw from the drawer at random. This means each of those shirts have the exact same possibility of being drawn from the drawer. Therefore, if one shirt is chosen at random from the drawer this translates to a probability of drawing a black shirt of 1, which would serve as your numerator.

But your problem is asking what the probability is of drawing a shirt that is not a black shirt. Since you have two black shirts in the total population in the drawer, the probability of drawing a shirt that is not a black shirt is 18/20. I am more than confident that you can translate this fraction into a percentage.

I hope I have assisted and wish you a Happy Holiday. If you need further clarity, want other questions answered which deal with the question, or need one on one tutoring, please feel free to reach out to me or another tutor. Best!