If the probability of an event happening is 2/5, then the probability of the event not happening is 3/5? This is False. The answer is 1/3. Explain why the answer is 1/3
If you are solely dealing with chance, the correct answer is 3/5 of not happening. However, if there is some additional information of non-chance events, this might be the factor. Is there more data?
Another possibility is that the 1/3 answer is a typo.
To understand why the answer is 1/3, let's first clarify some concepts about probability.
In probability, the complement of an event refers to the event not happening. It represents all possible outcomes that are not part of the event. The probability of the complement of an event is equal to 1 minus the probability of the event itself.
So, if the probability of an event happening is p, then the probability of the event not happening (complement) is 1 - p.
In this case, the given probability of the event happening is 2/5, which means that the event has a 2/5 chance of occurring. Thus, the probability of the event not happening is 1 - 2/5.
To calculate this, we find the common denominator (in this case, it is 5) and subtract the numerator (2) from the denominator (5):
1 - 2/5 = 5/5 - 2/5 = 3/5.
Therefore, the correct answer is 3/5, not 1/3. It contradicts the statement you mentioned. If the probability of an event happening is 2/5, then the probability of the event not happening is indeed 3/5.