Question

In a Match 6 Lotto, winning the jackpot requires that you select six different numbers from 1 to 49, and that the same six numbers be drawn in the lottery. The winning numbers can be drawn in any order. After carefully reading the scenario, determine the number of possible arrangements of the six numbers. Which will work better to determine this answer, permutation or combination? Justify your answer. Besides your method, is there another method to determine the number of outcomes? Explain. Calculate the probability of winning. Explain. Make an argument for or against playing the lottery.

Answer 1

Answer:

$P=\frac{1}{13,983,816}=7.2\ x\ 10^{-8}$

Step-by-step explanation:

Consider the following characteristics of the problem:

The numbers that are selected are different between 1 and 49. This means that the same number is not repeated twice.

The order in which the selected numbers appear does not matter:

This means that (123) = (312)

With this in mind, we know that it is a problem of combinations without repetition. It is not calculated using permutations because in the permutations the order of selection is important, for example: (123) is not equal to (312)

The formula for calculating combinations without repetition is:

$nCr=\frac{n!}{r!(n-r)!}$

Where n is the number of "elements" you can choose and choose r from them

In this case:

n=49

r=6

So:

$49C6=\frac{49!}{6!(49-6)!}$

$49C6=13,983,816\ outcomes$

There are 13,983,816 possible results

This is the best method to calculate the number of possible outcomes.

"Besides your method, is there another method to determine the number of outcomes?"

Sure, make a list of the 13,983,816 different sets of 6 numbers.

To win it is necessary to obtain the 6 winning numbers in any order. The number of ways this can occur is calculated by combining 6 in 6

$6C6=\frac{6!}{6!(6-6)!}=1$

Finally the probability of winning is:

$P=\frac{1}{13,983,816}=7.2\ x\ 10^{-8}$

Note that the probability of winning is very close to 0. It is practically impossible to win the lottery, you will probably never win anything. Therefore it is better not to invest money in this