9. A pot has 6 shiny balls and 14 matte balls. If a ball is removed from the pot without replacement, what is the probability that the next ball taken will not be matte? \( 30.00 \% \) \( 26.32 \% \) \( 31.58 \% \)

When one ball is removed from the pot, we need to calculate the new probability of drawing a non-matte ball (which means drawing one of the shiny balls). Originally, there are 20 balls in total (6 shiny + 14 matte). If we remove one matte ball, that leaves us with 19 balls total, consisting of 6 shiny and 13 matte. The probability of not drawing a matte ball now equals the number of shiny balls divided by the total remaining balls: \[ P(\text{Not Matte}) = \frac{6}{19} \approx 31.58\% \] So, the correct answer is \( 31.58\% \). Now, if you had removed a shiny ball instead, the math would change, but the same principles apply! Always keep track of those totals! And remember, each removal reshuffles the probabilities, making this a fun game of percentages.