Jordan is planning to buy a vehicle. He has the following choices. Type: sedan or SUV Transmission: 5 -speed or automatic Color : red, blue, black, green, or silver Top: sunroof or no sunroof Jordan says that he has a total of 2 plus 2 plus 5 plus 2 , or 11 , possible vehicle choices. What is Jordan’s error?
Answer
A
He should have multiplied the choices, instead of adding them.
B
He should have multiplied only the choices for type and transmission.
C
He should have added only the choices for type and transmission.
D
He should have multiplied the sum by 4 .
Explanation
Jordan is choosing one option from each independent category: type, transmission, color, and top. The multiplication principle says to multiply the number of choices in each category: 2 × 2 × 5 × 2 = 40 possible vehicles. Adding the numbers counts the categories’ options separately, rather than counting every combination, so choice A is correct.
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