what is a probability of rolling a total of 5 when a pair of number cubes is rolled once

To get a sum of 5, we could have had

1 4
2 3
3 2
4 1 , or 4 cases
prob(sum of 5 ) = 4/36 = 1/9

To find the probability of rolling a total of 5 when a pair of number cubes is rolled once, we first need to determine the number of favorable outcomes and the total number of possible outcomes.

First, let's determine the total number of possible outcomes. When rolling a pair of number cubes, each cube has 6 possible outcomes (numbers 1 through 6). Since we are rolling two cubes, the total number of possible outcomes is 6 x 6 = 36.

Next, let's determine the number of favorable outcomes. To roll a total of 5, we need to find the combinations of numbers from the two cubes that add up to 5. These combinations are: (1, 4), (2, 3), (3, 2), and (4, 1). So, there are 4 favorable outcomes.

Finally, we can calculate the probability of rolling a total of 5 by dividing the number of favorable outcomes by the total number of possible outcomes:
P(total of 5) = favorable outcomes / total outcomes = 4 / 36

Simplifying this fraction gives the final answer:
P(total of 5) = 1 / 9

Therefore, the probability of rolling a total of 5 when a pair of number cubes is rolled once is 1/9.