A box contains 5 discs, numbered 1, 2, 4, 6, 7. William takes 3 discs at random, without replacement, and notes the numbers on the discs.
The smallest of the numbers on the 3 discs taken is denoted by the random variable \(S\).
By listing all possible selections (126, 246 and so on) draw up the probability distribution table for \(S\).
Solution
To find the probability distribution for \(S\), we list all possible combinations of 3 discs from the set \{1, 2, 4, 6, 7\}.
The possible combinations are: 124, 126, 127, 146, 147, 167, 246, 247, 267, 467.
For each combination, we determine the smallest number, \(S\).
Counting the occurrences of each smallest number:
- \(S = 1\): 124, 126, 127, 146, 147, 167 (6 combinations)
- \(S = 2\): 246, 247, 267 (3 combinations)
- \(S = 4\): 467 (1 combination)
The total number of combinations is 10.
The probability distribution is calculated as follows:
- \(P(S=1) = \frac{6}{10}\)
- \(P(S=2) = \frac{3}{10}\)
- \(P(S=4) = \frac{1}{10}\)
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