There are 25 balls in a jar. Twelve (12) balls are red, 10 balls are blue, and 3 balls are white. Which of the following describes the likelihood of randomly picking a white ball?
a impossible
b likely
c less likely than not
d very unlikely
d very unlikely
3/25 = 0.12 or 12% agree d
Yes, that's correct. Since there are only 3 white balls out of the total 25 balls, the probability of randomly picking a white ball is 3/25 or 0.12 or 12%. This means it is very unlikely to pick a white ball from the jar.
To determine the likelihood of randomly picking a white ball, we need to find the probability of selecting a white ball from the total number of balls in the jar.
First, let's calculate the total number of balls in the jar:
12 (red balls) + 10 (blue balls) + 3 (white balls) = 25 balls total
Now, we can find the probability of selecting a white ball by dividing the number of white balls by the total number of balls:
3 (white balls) / 25 (total balls) = 0.12 or 12%
Based on this calculation, the probability of randomly picking a white ball is 12%.
Now, let's match this percentage with the answer choices:
a) Impossible - Since there are white balls in the jar, it is possible to randomly pick a white ball. Therefore, this answer choice is incorrect.
b) Likely - 12% probability can be considered as moderate, but it might not be considered as "likely" for every situation or individual.
c) Less likely than not - 12% probability is actually higher than 50% (which means likely or more likely than not). Therefore, this answer choice is incorrect.
d) Very unlikely - Again, even though 12% probability might not be considered as "very unlikely" in every situation, it is still lower than 50%. Thus, this answer choice is the best description of the likelihood of randomly picking a white ball.
Therefore, the answer is d) very unlikely.