Question

There are four nickels, three dimes, and three quarters in your pocket. You randomly pick three coins and place them on a counter. The first coin is a nickel, the second is a dime, and the third is a quarter. Find the probability of this occurring.

Answer 1

Total coins = 10 ( 4 + 3 + 3 = 10).

The probability of picking a nickel first = 4/10 = 2/5 ( 4 nickels out of 10 total).

The probability of picking a dime second = 3/9 = 1/3 ( 3 dimes out of 9 coins left).

The probability of picking the third coin as a quarter = 3/8 ( 3 quarters out of 8 coins left).

The probability of picking all three in that order = 2/5 x 1/3 x 3/8 = 1/20