At the hotel Excelsior, Melvyn had stopped by the security office run by his friend Zack. They were watching the elevator on the split screen monitor, with one screen for each of the ten floors of the hotel and the ground floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cZack, you see the seven people entering the elevator on the ground floor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure, Melvyn, especially that hot blonde that just wiggled in before the door closed,\u201d said Zack, chewing on his bubble gum.<\/p>\n
\u201cZack, I\u2019ll bet you a hundred bucks that there will not be a group of exactly three people getting off the elevator at any floor,\u201d said Melvyn.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re on, I could really use a hundred bucks,\u201d chuckled Zack.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you really sure that three persons will be getting off at some floor?\u201d quieried Melvyn, raising an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m betting on, Melvyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, let\u2019s see how it goes, Zack.\u201d Melvyn made himself comfortable in an armchair to watch the monitor.<\/p>\n
What do you figure are the chances that Melvyn will win his bet with Zack?<\/em><\/p>\n Can you work out the probability that only one person gets off the elevator at each stop?<\/em><\/p>\nShare this:<\/h3>