Probability total number on dice is 11 or more

rad6210

New member
Joined
Sep 13, 2009
Messages
21
Three dice are rolled. What is the probability that the total number of spots showing is 11 or more? (Hint - no long calulations)

Does anyone know how to set this up besides writing out all the possibilities? Thanks!
 
I know the probability is 1/2, but can't see a way to work it out except by listing the possibilities;
but this "listing" can be greatly shortened, like if 1st two are 6,6 or 6,5 or 5,6 or 5,5
then automatically you've got 24 cases at 11 or more.

On average, after 6 rolls of a dice, you get 3.5; so 3 dice means 3.5 * 3 = 10.5;
perhaps that's rounded to 11, hence the 1/2 probability...

We'll see what our probability expert Galactus has to say to that :wink:
 
Hello, rad6210!

A variation of Denis' approach . . .


Three dice are rolled.
What is the probability that the total number of spots showing is 11 or more?

\(\displaystyle \text{The possible sums are: }\;\underbrace{3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10}_{\text{10 or less}},\underbrace{11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18}_{\text{11 or more}}\)

\(\displaystyle \text{In }hal\!f\text{ of the outcomes, the sum is 11 or more.}\)

\(\displaystyle \text{Therefore: }\;P(\text{11 or more}) \;=\;\frac{1}{2}\)

 
Top