Natalie can take one of her three friends with her on a trip to Italy. She can’t decide whom to take. Nick suggests that Natalie use a random number generator to assign numbers 1 through 20 to him, Sarah, and Mike until all the numbers are used. Then Natalie can pick a number from 1 to 20, and that friend will go. Is Nick’s suggestion fair? Explain.
Answer
A
No, one friend will have fewer numbers assigned.
B
No, two friends will have fewer numbers assigned.
C
Yes, each friend is assigned the same amount.
Explanation
There are 20 numbers to divide among 3 friends, and 20 is not divisible evenly by 3. So one friend must receive 7 numbers while the other two receive 6 each. The chance of being chosen is therefore not equal, so Nick’s suggestion is not fair. Choice A is correct: one friend will have fewer numbers assigned.
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