There are n sweets in a bag, 6 of which are orange, the rest are yellow. Hannah takes a random sweet from the bag and eats it, and then does so again. The probability that Hannah eats two orange sweets is 1/3. Show that n^2-n-90=0.

The probability that the first sweet Hannah eats is orange is 6/n, as there are n sweets and 6 of them are orange. If this is indeed orange, then there are now n-1 sweets left in the bag, of which 5 are orange. Therefore, the probability that the second sweet is orange is 5/(n-1). Two find the probability that two events both happen, you multiply the two probabilities, so we do (6/n)*(5/(n-1))=30/(n(n-1))=30/n2-n. We're told in the question that the probability both sweets are orange is 1/3, so we know that 1/3=30/n2-n. Multipyling both sides by 3 gives: 1=90/n2-n, then multipyling both sides by n2-n gives n2-n=90. Finally, we subtract 90 from both sides to give n2-n-90=0

JS
Answered by Jonny S. Maths tutor

4066 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Solve (3x +1)/x + (2x-1)/3 = -3, giving x to two decimal places.


Daniel and Mohammed buy concert tickets for £63. All the concert tickets are the same price. Daniel pays £24.50 for 7 tickets. How many tickets does Mohammed buy? .


V= 4(h^3 +1)^0.5 - 4, find dv/dh when h=2


How do I solve a quadratic equation like x^2 - 2x - 35 = 0 without using a calculator?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning