A bowl of fruits contains bananas, oranges, apples, and pears.
A photo shows a bowl containing bananas, apples, pears, and oranges.
Source: Robyn Mackenzie/Shutterstock
You choose a fruit from the bowl without looking. Do you think each fruit will be equally likely to be selected? Why or why not? How likely will you select a banana? Is it likely that you will select an orange? What do you need to know in order to determine the likelihood of selecting a pear? If there are 24 pieces of fruit in the bowl, what is the likelihood of selecting a pear or an apple? If you select two fruit without replacement, what is the chance that you will have an orange and a banana? What affects the outcome of these choices?
In this scenario, it is important to consider the initial distribution of fruits in the bowl. If the fruits are evenly distributed, then each fruit would be equally likely to be selected. However, if there are more of one type of fruit compared to others, then the likelihood of selecting that particular fruit would be higher.
In the photo provided, we can see that there are bananas, apples, pears, and oranges in the bowl. Without knowing the actual quantities of each fruit, it is difficult to determine the likelihood of selecting a specific fruit.
If we assume that each fruit is equally distributed in the bowl, then the likelihood of selecting a banana, orange, apple, or pear would all be 1/4 or 25%.
To determine the likelihood of selecting a pear, we would need to know the total number of pears in the bowl. If there are 6 pears in the bowl, and a total of 24 pieces of fruit, then the likelihood of selecting a pear would be 6/24 or 25%.
If you want to find the likelihood of selecting a pear or an apple, you would add the individual probabilities of selecting a pear and selecting an apple, since these events are mutually exclusive. So if there are 6 pears and 6 apples in the bowl, the likelihood of selecting a pear or an apple would be (6+6)/24 or 50%.
If you select two fruits without replacement, the outcome will be affected by the initial distribution of fruits in the bowl and the order in which you select them. If you want to find the chance of selecting an orange and a banana, you need to consider the case where you select an orange first and then a banana, or vice versa. The likelihood of this outcome would depend on the quantities of oranges and bananas in the bowl.