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 that Brandon will select a green piece?

Rationale

The probability that Brandon will select a green piece of candy is 2/9.

To calculate the probability of selecting a green piece of candy, we divide the number of green candies (4) by the total number of candies (18). Thus, the probability is 4/18, which simplifies to 2/9.

A (2/7) YOUR ANSWER

This choice incorrectly suggests that the probability of selecting a green piece is 2 out of 7. The total number of candies is 18, not 7, so this fraction does not accurately reflect the conditions of the problem.

B (2/9) CORRECT

This is the correct answer. The probability is determined by the ratio of green candies to the total number of candies, which is 4/18, simplifying to 2/9. This accurately represents the likelihood of selecting a green piece from the bowl.

C (2/11) YOUR ANSWER

Choosing 2 out of 11 implies there are only 11 total candies, which is incorrect. The total number of candies in the bowl is 18, making this probability calculation inaccurate and irrelevant to the problem.

D (1/9) YOUR ANSWER

This option incorrectly suggests that the probability of selecting a green candy is 1 out of 9. Since there are 4 green candies out of 18 total, the probability cannot be simplified to 1/9 and is thus incorrect.

E (1/8) YOUR ANSWER

This choice is based on a misunderstanding of the total number of candies. With 18 candies in total, the probability cannot equal 1/8, as that would imply there are only 8 candies considered in the calculation.

Conclusion

The probability of selecting a green piece of candy from the bowl is accurately represented by the fraction 2/9. This result is derived from the count of green candies relative to the total candy count, emphasizing the importance of using the correct total when calculating probabilities in such scenarios. The other options fail to reflect the correct total or misrepresent the relationship, leading to incorrect probabilities.