2008 AMC 10B Problems/Problem 17
Problem
A poll shows that 
of all voters approve of the mayor's work. On three separate occasions a pollster selects a voter at random. What is the probability that on exactly one of these three occasions the voter approves of the mayor's work?
Solution
The pollster could select responses in 3 different ways: YNN, NYN, and NNY, where Y stands for a voter who approved of the work, and N stands for a person who didn't approve of the work. The probability of each of these is 
Thus, the answer is 
Alternative Solution
In more concise terms, this problem is an extension of the binomial distribution. We find the number of ways only 1 person approves of the mayor multiplied by the probability 1 person approves and 2 people disapprove: ![\[{3\choose 1} \cdot (0.7)^1\cdot(1-0.7)^{(3-1)} = 3 \cdot 0.7 \cdot 0.09 = 0.189 \Rightarrow \boxed{B}\]](http://latex.artofproblemsolving.com/d/e/9/de972688074e320dfd31f4142dd724144cab4c9a.png)
Video Solution by TheBeautyofMath
With explanation of how it helps on future problems, emphasizing "Don't Memorize, Understand" https://youtu.be/PO3XZaSchJc
~IceMatrix
See also
| 2008 AMC 10B (Problems • Answer Key • Resources) | ||
| Preceded by Problem 16 |
Followed by Problem 18 | |
| 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 | ||
| All AMC 10 Problems and Solutions | ||
The problems on this page are copyrighted by the Mathematical Association of America's American Mathematics Competitions. 
