Probability Q

[Lestat]

Warik and company will like this..


Say you have a tick tac toe board

You have three bean bags.. they all are dropped at random on the board and each land in one space .

What is the probability that you have tic tac toe? (three in a row)?

Note: The question is, what are the odds that you will get tic tac toe before the first one is thrown.. obviously the odds change as the bean bags land.. but just from the get go what are the odds that you wil have three in a row?


Brian

 

[Nathan]

If I understand your question, there are in total 8 ways to get tic tac toe and there are "9 choose 3" possible configurations so the answer is 8 divided by "9 choose 3". I don't remember how the whole "a choose b" crap works but if memory serves that's how she works. I haven't done finite mathematics since high school though.

 

[aalox]

The total number of combinations of nine objects, taken three at a time, is

9 x 8 x 7
-----------
1 x 2 x 3

That is, 84. Since 8 of the combinations are "tic-tac-toe" lines, the probability is 8/84, or about 9.5%