A bowl contains 18 pieces of candy: 8 red, 6 orange, and 4 green. Brandon will select 1 piece of candy at random. What is the probability Brandon will select a green piece?

Rationale

Brandon will select a green piece of candy with a probability of 2/9.

The probability of selecting a green piece of candy is calculated by dividing the number of green candies by the total number of candies in the bowl. There are 4 green candies out of a total of 18, resulting in a probability of 4/18, which simplifies to 2/9.

A (2/7) YOUR ANSWER

This choice suggests that the probability of selecting a green candy is higher than it actually is. With 4 green candies out of 18 total, the correct formulation does not support a probability of 2/7, which would imply there are more green candies than available.

B (2/9) CORRECT

This is the correct calculation, as it accurately represents the ratio of green candies to total candies. With 4 green candies in a bowl of 18, simplifying 4/18 gives 2/9, which reflects the correct probability of selecting a green piece.

C (2/11) YOUR ANSWER

This probability would suggest that the total number of candies is greater than 22, which is incorrect. The calculation of 2/11 does not correspond to the actual number of green candies relative to the total, leading to an inaccurate representation of the scenario.

D (1/8) YOUR ANSWER

Choosing 1/8 implies that there's a higher likelihood of selecting a green candy than what is supported by the actual numbers. This choice incorrectly assumes a total of 8 candies, which does not reflect the correct total of 18.

E (1/9) YOUR ANSWER

This option underestimates the total number of green candies, suggesting that there is only 1 green candy among 9 total candies. This does not align with the actual scenario, where there are 4 green candies out of 18.

Conclusion

The probability of selecting a green piece of candy from the bowl is calculated by the ratio of green candies to the total candies present. With 4 green candies and a total of 18, the probability simplifies to 2/9, accurately reflecting the scenario. All other choices either miscalculate the number of green candies or misrepresent the total count, leading to incorrect probabilities.