Probability and Counting HSC Questions

1. ’04 2e A four-person team is to be chosen at random from nine women and seven men.
(i) In how many ways can this team be chosen?
(ii) What is the probability that the team will consist of four women?

2. ’07 5b Mr and Mrs Roberts and their four children go to the theatre. They are randomly allocated six
adjacent seats in a single row.
What is the probability that the four children are allocated seats next to each other?

3. ’96 5c Mice are placed in the centre of a maze which has five exits. Each mouse is equally likely to
leave the maze through any one of the five exits. Thus, the probability of any given mouse
1
leaving by a particular exit is .
5
Four mice, A, B, C, and D, are put into the maze and behave independently.
(i) What is the probability that A, B, C, and D all come out the same exit?
(ii) What is the probability that A, B, and C come out the same exit, and D comes out a
different exit?
(iii) What is the probability that any three of the four mice come out the same exit, and the
other comes out a different exit?
(iv) What is the probability that no more than two mice come out the same exit?

4. ’92 6b A total of five players is selected at random from four sporting teams. Each of the teams
consists of ten players numbered from 1 to 10.
(i) What is the probability that of the five selected players, three are numbered ‘6’ and two
are numbered ‘8’?
(ii) What is the probability that the five selected players contain at least four players from
the same team?

5. ’13 Q7 A family of eight is seated randomly around a circular table. What is the probability that the two
youngest members of the family sit together?
6!2! 6! 6!2! 6!
(A) (B) (C) (D)
7! 7!2! 8! 8!2!
Extension 2

1. ’03 4c A hall has n doors. Suppose that n people each choose any door at random to enter the hall.
(i) In how many ways can this be done?
(ii) What is the probability that at least one door will not be chosen by any of the people?

2. ’02 4c From a pack of nine cards numbered 1, 2, 3,…, 9, three cards are drawn at random and laid on
a table from left to right.
(i) What is the probability that the number formed exceeds 400?
(ii) What is the probability that the digits are drawn in descending order?

3. ’07 5a A bag contains 12 red marbles and 12 yellow marbles. Six marbles are selected at random
without replacement.
(i) Calculate the probability that exactly three of the selected marbles are red. Give your
answer correct to two decimal places.
(ii) Hence, or otherwise, calculate the probability that more than three of the selected
marbles are red. Give your answer correct to two decimal places.

4. ’06 5d In a chess match between the Home team and the Away team, a game is played on each of
board 1, board 2, board 3 and board 4.
On each board, the probability that the Home team wins is 0.2, the probability of a draw is 0.6
and the probability that the Home team loses is 0.2.
The results are recorded by listing the outcomes of the games for the Home team in board
order. For example, if the Home team wins on board 1, draws on board 2, loses on board 3
and draws on board 4, the result is recorded as WDLD.
(i) How many different recordings are possible?
(ii) Calculate the probability of the result which is recorded as WDLD.
1
(iii) Teams score 1 point for each game won, a point for each game drawn and 0 points
2
for each game lost.
What is the probability that the Home team scores more points than the Away team?

5. ’05 5b Mary and Ferdinand are competing against each other in a competition in which the winner is
the first to score five goals. The outcome is recorded by listing, in order, the initial of the
person who scores each goal. For example, one possible outcome would be recorded as
MFFMMFMM.
(i) Explain why there are five different ways in which the outcome could be recorded if
Ferdinand scores only one goal in the competition.
(ii) In how many different ways could the outcome of this competition be recorded?
6. ’91 6a A nine-member Fund Raising Committee consists of four students, three teachers and two
parents. The Committee meets around a circular table.
(i) How many different arrangements of the nine members around the table are possible if
the students sit together as a group and so do the teachers, but no teacher sits next to a
student?
(ii) One student and one parent are related. Given that all arrangements in (i) are equally
likely, what is the probability that these two members sit next to each other?

7. ’83 7i A city council consists of 6 Liberal and 5 Labor aldermen, from whom a committee of 5
members is chosen at random.What is the probability that the Liberals have a majority on the
committee?

8. ’11 8b A bag contains seven balls numbered from 1 to 7. A ball is chosen at random and its number
is noted. The ball is then returned to the bag. This is done a total of seven times.
(i) What is the probability that each ball is selected exactly once?
(ii) What is the probability that at least one ball is not selected?
(iii) What is the probability that exactly one of the balls is not selected?

9. ’86 8ii A committee of 4 women and 3 men are to be seated at random around a circular table with 7
seats.What is the probability that all the women will be seated together?

Answers
9 1
1. (i) 1820 (ii) 2.
130 5
1 4 16 108
3. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)
125 125 125 125
1 28
4. (i) (ii) 5. A
27 417 703

Extension 2 Answers
nn − n ! 2 1
1. (i) nn (ii) 2. (i) (ii)
nn 3 6
3. (i) 0.36 (ii) 0.32
4. (i) 81 (ii) 0.0144 (iii) 0.344
5. (ii) 252
1 281
6. (i) 288 (ii) 7.
4 462
7
6! 6!  7   6  7!  1 
8. (i) (ii) 1− (iii)   ×   × ×  
76 76  1   1  2!  7 
1
9.
5