In a drawer, there are 15 pairs of socks, 8 of which are white, and $9 \mathrm{t}$-shirts, 5 of which are white. If you randomly select one pair of socks and one t-shirt, what is the probability that both are white? Express your answer as a reduced fraction. Question Help: Message instructor Check Answer

Step 1 ：Calculate the probability of selecting a white pair of socks. There are 8 white pairs of socks out of a total of 15 pairs, so the probability is \(\frac{8}{15}\).

Step 2 ：Calculate the probability of selecting a white t-shirt. There are 5 white t-shirts out of a total of 9, so the probability is \(\frac{5}{9}\).

Step 3 ：Since these are independent events (the selection of socks does not affect the selection of the t-shirt), the probability of both events occurring is the product of their individual probabilities.

Step 4 ：So, the probability that both the selected pair of socks and the t-shirt are white is \(\frac{8}{15} * \frac{5}{9} = \frac{40}{135}\).

Step 5 ：This fraction can be simplified by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common divisor, which is 5. So, the simplified fraction is \(\frac{8}{27}\).

Step 6 ：Therefore, the probability that both the selected pair of socks and the t-shirt are white is \(\boxed{\frac{8}{27}}\).