Answers>Maths>IB>Article

Three girls and four boys are seated randomly on a straight bench. Find the probability that the girls sit together and the boys sit together.

There is a total of 7! possible ways in which the seven children can be seated on the bench. The number of favourable arrangements when four boys are seated on one side and three girls on the other side is 4! * 3! as the boys can be sitting in any order, and so can the girls. We need to multiply this number by 2, because the boys and girls could be seated on either side of the bench, giving us twice as many possibilites. The probability is calculated as the ratio between the number of favourable arrangements and the total number of arrangements, giving us P = (4! * 3! * 2)/(7!) = (3! * 2)/(567) = (322)/(235*7) = 2/35.

Answered by • Maths tutor

2625 Views

See similar Maths IB tutors

Related Maths IB answers

All answers ▸

What is proof by induction and how do I employ it?


A team of four is chosen from six married couples. If a husband and wife cannot both be on the team, in how many ways can the team be formed?


Solve (sec (x))^2 + 2tan(x) = 0


How does the right angle triangle definition of sine, cosine and tangent relate to their graphs as a function of angle and to Euler's formula?