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( Question 7,9.2:B-3 A penny, a nickel, a dime, and a quarter are tossed. What is the probability of obtaining at most one head on the tosses? The probability of obtaining at most one head on the tosses is (Type an integer or a simplified fraction.)

Ask by Cox Bond. in the United States
Feb 26,2025

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The probability of obtaining at most one head is 5/16.

Solution

We start by noting that there are 4 coins tossed, each with 2 possible outcomes (heads or tails), so there are a total of 2⁴ = 16 outcomes. "At most one head" means we want the number of outcomes with 0 heads or exactly 1 head. 1. For 0 heads (i.e., all tails), there is 1 outcome. 2. For exactly 1 head, we choose 1 coin out of 4 to be heads. There are 4 outcomes. So, the total favorable outcomes are 1 + 4 = 5. Thus, the probability is 5/16.

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To determine the probability of obtaining at most one head when tossing a penny, a nickel, a dime, and a quarter, we first calculate the total number of possible outcomes. Each coin has 2 outcomes (heads or tails), so with 4 coins, there are \( 2^4 = 16 \) possible outcomes. Now, let's consider the favorable outcomes for obtaining at most one head: 1. Zero heads (all tails): 1 outcome (TTTT) 2. One head: There are 4 combinations (HTTT, THTT, TTHT, TTTT). Adding those favorable outcomes gives us \( 1 + 4 = 5 \). Now we calculate the probability: \[ \text{Probability} = \frac{\text{Favorable outcomes}}{\text{Total outcomes}} = \frac{5}{16} \] So, the probability of obtaining at most one head on the tosses is \( \frac{5}{16} \).

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