Question

finding the probability of compound events
marcus tosses a coin and spins a spinner numbered from 1 to 3. what is the probability the coin lands heads up and the spinner lands on 1?
1/8
1/6
1/3
1/2

Explanation:

Step1: Probability of coin - heads

The probability of a fair coin landing heads up is $\frac{1}{2}$ since there are 2 possible outcomes (heads or tails) and 1 favorable outcome (heads).

Step2: Probability of spinner - 1

The spinner has 3 possible outcomes (1, 2, 3) and 1 favorable outcome (1), so the probability of the spinner landing on 1 is $\frac{1}{3}$.

Step3: Probability of compound event

Since the coin - toss and spinner - spin are independent events, we multiply the probabilities of the individual events. So the probability of the coin landing heads up and the spinner landing on 1 is $\frac{1}{2}\times\frac{1}{3}=\frac{1}{6}$.

Answer:

B. $\frac{1}{6}$