Last visit was: 15 Dec 2024, 07:54 It is currently 15 Dec 2024, 07:54
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 15 Dec 2024
Posts: 97,883
Own Kudos:
686,070
 []
Given Kudos: 88,273
Products:
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 97,883
Kudos: 686,070
 []
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
2
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
avatar
AbidHasan2002
Joined: 14 Jan 2022
Last visit: 11 Dec 2022
Posts: 3
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 8
Location: Bangladesh
Posts: 3
Kudos: 1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
avatar
MBAHOUSE
avatar
MBA House Admissions Consultant
Joined: 26 May 2022
Last visit: 23 Apr 2024
Posts: 343
Own Kudos:
79
 []
Expert reply
Posts: 343
Kudos: 79
 []
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
ThatDudeKnows
Joined: 11 May 2022
Last visit: 27 Jun 2024
Posts: 1,078
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 79
Expert reply
Posts: 1,078
Kudos: 807
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
A bag contains 5 blue, 3 black and 10 red balls. If three balls are drawn at random, without replacement. What is the probability that one is blue, one is black and one is red ?

A. 25/136

B. 4/21

C. 1/2

D. 111/136

E. 4/5

What's the probability that we are going to get exactly Blue, Black, Red in that order?
5/18 * 3/17 * 10/16

But that's not the only order; we need to account for the probabilities of other orders. How many ways are there to order the three selections? We have three choices for which color we draw first, two choices for which color we draw second, and one choice for which color we draw third, so 3*2*1=6 possible orders. In each case, our denominators will be 18, 17, and 16 and our numerators will be 5, 3, and 10 in some order.

So the overall probability is 6 * 5/18 * 3/17 * 10/16 = 50/272 = 25/136.

Answer choice A.
User avatar
Regor60
Joined: 21 Nov 2021
Last visit: 12 Dec 2024
Posts: 484
Own Kudos:
283
 []
Given Kudos: 399
Posts: 484
Kudos: 283
 []
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Denominator: number of ways to pull 3 balls from 18:

18!/3!15! = 3*17*16

Numerator: ways to pull a blue ball*ways to pull black*ways to pull red:

5*3*10

Probability: 5*3*10/3*17*16 =

5*5/17*8 = 25/136

Posted from my mobile device
User avatar
Suruchim12
Joined: 27 Oct 2021
Last visit: 13 Dec 2024
Posts: 29
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 13
Location: India
Posts: 29
Kudos: 2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Experts : Bunuel / GMATNinja

Can you please help explain how we can arrive at the total outcomes using the nCr formula.
In other similar problems we have used nCr to determine the total no. of outcomes where order does not matter but here all explanations I see are using the counting method.

TIA!
User avatar
Sroy1
Joined: 04 Jun 2022
Last visit: 11 Dec 2024
Posts: 8
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 492
Location: India
Posts: 8
Kudos: 3
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Total number of ways to choose 3 coloured balls from total 18 balls are = 18P3=18*17*16(as order of the drawn coloured balls matters)
Now our desired case that we are going to get exactly one Blue, one Black, one Red balls once 5*3*10*6!.
( 6! Is coming from the fact that those 3 drawn balls can arrange themselves in 6! Ways.).

Thus required probability:
(5*3*10*6!)/(18*17*16)=25/136

Posted from my mobile device
Moderator:
Math Expert
97883 posts