Question

of the 53 plays attributed to a playwright, 16 are comedies, 20 are tragedies, and 17 are histories. if one play is selected at random, find the odds against selecting a history. the odds against selecting a history are :. (simplify your answer.)

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate non - history plays

The number of non - history plays is the sum of comedies and tragedies. So, $16 + 20=36$.

Step2: Determine odds against

The odds against an event is the ratio of the number of unfavorable outcomes to the number of favorable outcomes. Here, the number of unfavorable outcomes (non - history plays) is 36 and the number of favorable outcomes (history plays) is 17.

Answer:

$36:17$