During an experiment, a spinner landed on green 9 times, which resulted in an experimental probability of 1 sixth Mary said that there must have been 45 trials in the experiment. Why is Mary incorrect?
Answer
A
If there were 9 occurrences and 45 trials, the simplified experimental probability would be 1 fifth , not 1 sixth .
B
Mary mistakenly thought that 1 sixth was the simplest form of 6 over 45 .
C
Mary multiplied the 9 occurrences by 6 instead of 5 .
D
If there were 9 occurrences, the simplified experimental probability would be 1 seventh , not 1 sixth .
Explanation
Experimental probability is the number of times an outcome occurs divided by the total number of trials. If green occurred 9 times in 45 trials, the probability would be 9/45, which simplifies to 1/5. So 45 trials would not give an experimental probability of 1/6; choice A correctly explains why Mary is incorrect.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.