Suppose you have 27 socks in a drawer. 9 socks are white, 5 socks are black, and the rest are brown. What is the probability that if you randomly select a sock from the drawer that it will be black. Round your answer to two decimal places.

To find the probability of selecting a black sock, you need to divide the number of black socks by the total number of socks. You have 5 black socks out of 27 socks in total. So, the probability \( P \) of selecting a black sock is: \[ P(\text{black}) = \frac{\text{number of black socks}}{\text{total number of socks}} = \frac{5}{27} \approx 0.1852 \] Rounded to two decimal places, the probability is approximately 0.19. If you're curious about probability, did you know that it has roots in gambling and games? Probability theory was rigorously formulated in the 17th century when mathematicians sought to answer questions about games of chance, laying the foundation for not only games but also statistics and finance. Want to become a probability pro? Practice makes perfect! A common mistake is not distinguishing between independent and dependent events. Remember, when choosing without replacement (like socks), probabilities change with each pick. Ensure to re-calculate probabilities if you're drawing multiple times. Keep a steady hand and have fun with it!