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Suppose that license plates in a certain state have the pattern of three capital letters from the English alphabet followed by four digits from 0-9. . What is the probability that the four digits form your birth year?

 Apr 25, 2015

Best Answer 

 #3
avatar+118587 
+5

LOL

That was a Melody style solution Alan :)

I must be contagious.  

Nauseated - do I have a disease - not CDD - maybe CCD (Contagious complications disease) ?

 

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For those who didn't quite get it.

There are 10 possibilities for the 1st digit

There are 10 possibilities for the 2nd digit

There are 10 possibilities for the 3rd digit

There are 10 possibilities for the 4th digit

So there are a total of   10^4 = 10000 different number combinations

 

ONLY one of those is your birthyear  so

The probabilitiy that it will display your birthyear is     1/10000   or   0.0001

 Apr 26, 2015
 #1
avatar+33603 
+5

If you were born in any year from 2000 to 2015 the probability of getting the 1st digit (2) is 1/10; that of getting the 2nd digit (0 ) is 1/10; that of getting the third digit (0 or 1) is 2/10, and that of getting the fourth digit (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) is 6/10, so overall:

 

probability = 1*1*2*6/10^4 = 0.0012

 

Of course, if you are referring to someone like Chris or myself then the probability increases dramatically!

 

No! On second thoughts, the probability of matching your specific four digits is just 1/10 for each digit, so the probabilty is just 0.0001, whenever you were born!. (Chris and I are let off the hook!)

 

I must stop trying probability questions at night!  (Possibly at any time!)

.

 Apr 25, 2015
 #2
avatar+128079 
0

LOL!!!!  Nice one, ALAN !!!

{In my case, the digits would need to be followed by two more letters.....B.C. }

{Hey, jist ask zegroes......... }

 

 

  

 Apr 25, 2015
 #3
avatar+118587 
+5
Best Answer

LOL

That was a Melody style solution Alan :)

I must be contagious.  

Nauseated - do I have a disease - not CDD - maybe CCD (Contagious complications disease) ?

 

---------------------------------------------------------

For those who didn't quite get it.

There are 10 possibilities for the 1st digit

There are 10 possibilities for the 2nd digit

There are 10 possibilities for the 3rd digit

There are 10 possibilities for the 4th digit

So there are a total of   10^4 = 10000 different number combinations

 

ONLY one of those is your birthyear  so

The probabilitiy that it will display your birthyear is     1/10000   or   0.0001

Melody Apr 26, 2015

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