Two dice are thrown. What is the probability that the product of the two numbers is a multiple of 5?
Pick one
Solution
This is equivalent to asking for the probability that at least one of the numbers is a multiple of , since if one of the numbers is a multiple of , then the product with it and another integer is also a multiple of , and if a number is a multiple of , then since is prime, one of the factors must also have a factor of , and is the only multiple of on a die, so one of the numbers rolled must be a . To find the probability of rolling at least one , we can find the probability of not rolling a and subtract that from , since you either roll a or not roll a . The probability of not rolling a on either dice is . Therefore, the probability of rolling at least one five, and thus rolling two numbers whose product is a multiple of , is
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