analyst218 wrote:well a easier way , IMO , is to
just 1 - [getting non-pair/ total number]
= 1 - [12C4 / 12C4]
however the numerator has to be 12x10x8x6/4! since say you pick 1 for the first card,
you have to eliminate the other 1 so you have 10, same with the 2nd 3rd cards..
so 1-[12x10x8x6/4!]/[12C4] = 1 - 240/495 = 17/33
well, that certainly works, but i wouldn't call it "easier". look at the enormous size of the numbers in your calculations, vs. the tiny size of the numbers in the other posters' calculations.
(in the other version, the largest number in the entire workup is the actual answer to the problem, 17/33)
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also, this is really important:
WHEN YOU DO ARITHMETIC:
SIMPLIFY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BEFORE YOU WORK OUT COMPUTATIONS!
your calculation above says "240/495". there's no need to deal with numbers this big, and, unless you are absolutely
lightning fast at calculations, there's no doubt that you wasted some time getting to that point (...and will waste even more time boiling those numbers back down to normal size).
here's what you do:
(the color-coded numbers CANCEL OUT)
[12x10x8x6/4!]/[12C4]
= (
12 x 10 x 8 x 6 /
4 x 3 x 2 x 1) (
4 x 3 x 2 x 1 /
12 x 11 x 10 x 9)
= (
10 x 8 x 6 /
2 x 1) (
1 x 2 / 11 x
10 x 9)
= (8 x
6) (1 / 11 x
9)
= (8 x
2) (1 / 11 x
3)
= 16/33
no need to deal with such awfully huge numbers.
i still submit that this is much, much more complicated than the sequential-multiplication solution submitted by the other posters.
but the most important thing here -
it doesn't matter whether it's easier; it just matters whether you can come up with it right away.
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.
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