A box contains 5 red, 7 orange, 6 black, 8 green, and 4 blue marbles. Without looking, Martha reaches in the box for marbles. How many marbles must Martha take from the box to be sure that at least two marbles are the same color? A. 5 marbles B. 6 marbles C. 10 marbles D. 7 marbles

To ensure Martha has at least two marbles of the same color, we can use the pigeonhole principle. In this scenario, there are five colors of marbles (red, orange, black, green, and blue). If Martha picks one marble of each color, that's a total of 5 marbles. To guarantee that at least one color is duplicated, she needs to pick one more marble, making it 6 marbles in total. So, the answer is **B. 6 marbles**. Ready for a fun fact? The pigeonhole principle isn't just for marbles! It applies to all kinds of scenarios in everyday life, like how in a group of 13 people, at least two must share a birthday month. How cool is that? And did you know that this principle can help you solve seemingly complex problems? Whether it's sock drawers or organizing items by color, recognizing that some outcomes are inevitable can simplify decision-making. Just another reason to love math!