a box of writing utensils on a teachers desk contains 8 red pencils, 7 green pencils, 9 red markers and 5 green markers. What is the probability of selecting a red writing utensil or marker

assuming that "red writing utensil or marker" means "red writing utensil or red marker", then

(8+9)/(8+7+9+5) = _____
otherwise, adjust the number of successful items.

To find the probability of selecting a red writing utensil or marker, we need to determine the total number of red writing utensils and markers, as well as the total number of writing utensils and markers overall.

The total number of red writing utensils and markers is 8 red pencils + 9 red markers = 17 red writing utensils and markers.

The total number of writing utensils and markers is 8 red pencils + 7 green pencils + 9 red markers + 5 green markers = 29 writing utensils and markers.

Therefore, the probability of selecting a red writing utensil or marker is 17/29, or approximately 0.586 or 58.6%.

To calculate the probability of selecting a red writing utensil or marker, we need to determine the total number of red writing utensils and markers in the box, as well as the total number of writing utensils and markers overall.

Step 1: Calculate the total number of red writing utensils and markers.
- There are 8 red pencils and 9 red markers, so the total number of red writing utensils is 8 + 9 = 17.

Step 2: Calculate the total number of writing utensils and markers overall.
- There are 8 red pencils, 7 green pencils, 9 red markers, and 5 green markers, so the total number of writing utensils and markers is 8 + 7 + 9 + 5 = 29.

Step 3: Calculate the probability.
- The probability of selecting a red writing utensil or marker is the ratio of the total number of red writing utensils to the total number of writing utensils and markers overall.
- Therefore, the probability is 17/29 ≈ 0.586 (rounded to three decimal places) or approximately 58.6%.

So, the probability of selecting a red writing utensil or marker from the box is approximately 58.6%.