You have 3 pairs of white socks, 4 pairs of black socks, and 2 pairs of colored socks in your drawer. What is the probability that you reach into the drawer and randomly select a pair of white socks?

A. 1/2
B. 1/3
C. 2/3
D. 3/7

I am stumped, please explain?

3/9

assuming that the pairs are together, so one draw get a pair. If the socks are loose and two draws are required, things are different.

Ty steve.

but wait there is no 3/9. do you mean 3/7?

No. Do you know how to simplify fractions?

Yes ma'am.

Thanks Steve/Ms.Sue for explaining. Thanks Lily for asking the question :)

To find the probability of randomly selecting a pair of white socks, we need to determine the total number of pairs of socks in the drawer and the number of pairs of white socks.

In this case, there are 3 pairs of white socks, 4 pairs of black socks, and 2 pairs of colored socks. To get the total number of pairs of socks, we sum up these quantities: 3 + 4 + 2 = 9 pairs of socks.

Since we have a total of 9 pairs of socks, the probability of randomly selecting a pair of white socks can be calculated as follows:

Number of pairs of white socks / Total number of pairs of socks = 3 / 9

Simplifying this fraction, we get:

3 / 9 = 1 / 3

Therefore, the correct answer is B. 1/3, which represents the probability that you randomly select a pair of white socks from the drawer.