Carcass wrote:
Set S is the prime integers between 0 and 20. If three numbers are chosen randomly from set S, what is the probability that the sum of these three numbers is odd?
(A) 15/56
(B) 3/8
(C) 15/28
(D) 5/8
(E) 3/4
Set S = {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19} Important: Notice that 7 of the values are ODD, and 1 value is EVEN.
Also recognize that the sum of any 3 odd integers will always be ODD.
Conversely, the sum of 2 odd integers and 1 even integer will always be EVEN. So, P(sum is odd) = P(all 3 selected numbers are odd)
= P(1st selected number is odd
AND 2nd selected number is odd
AND 3rd selected number is odd)
= P(1st selected number is odd)
x P(2nd selected number is odd)
x P(3rd selected number is odd)
= 7/8
x 6/7
x 5/6
= 5/8
Answer: D
Aside: P(1st selected number is odd) = 7/8, since 7 of the 8 numbers in the set are odd.
P(2nd selected number is odd) = 6/7, because once we select an odd number in the first draw, there are 7 numbers remaining, and 6 of them are odd.
etc....