Bunuel
If Enid and Topanga each roll a single ten-sided die (which has sides numbered 1 through 10), what is the probability that Enid will roll a larger number than Topanga does?
A. \(\frac{2}{5}\)
B. \(\frac{9}{20}\)
C. \(\frac{49}{100}\)
D. \(\frac{99}{200}\)
E. \(\frac{1}{2}\)
Official solution from Veritas Prep.
This problem combines two different ideas central to higher-level probability questions: pairs probability, and bad outcome counting.
We begin by noting that there are really three types of outcomes here: Enid rolls a larger number, Topanga rolls a larger number, or the two of them tie.
To calculate the probability of a tie, we use pairs probability; take the die rolls one at a time and ask, at each step, “am I still happy?” Since we’re going for a pair, any first roll will make us happy – every number is the first half of some possible pair. When the time comes for the second roll, on the other hand, we only have a \(\frac{1}{10}\) chance of being happy – we have to match whatever number was rolled before. So overall there is a \(1∗\frac{1}{10}=\frac{1}{10}\) chance of a tie, and a \(1-\frac{1}{10}=\frac{9}{10}\) chance that one die roll will be larger than the other.
To calculate the probability that Enid rolls a larger number, observe that it is equally as likely that Enid will win as it is that Topanga will win; there’s perfect symmetry between the two possibilities. So the probability that Enid will roll a larger number is simply half of the probability that someone will roll a higher number. That is,
\(P(Enid)=\frac{1}{2}∗\frac{9}{10}=\frac{9}{20}\). This is \(B\).