Problem

A person randomly selects one of six envelopes. Each envelope contains a check that the person gets to keep. Determine the person's expectation if three envelopes contain a $\$ 539$ check and three envelopes contain a $\$ 1000$ check

Answer

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Answer

The person's expectation is $769.5. So, the final answer is \( \boxed{769.5} \).

Steps

Step 1 :Define the total number of envelopes as 6.

Step 2 :Define the number of envelopes containing a $539 check as 3.

Step 3 :Define the number of envelopes containing a $1000 check as 3.

Step 4 :Calculate the probability of selecting an envelope with a $539 check as \( \frac{3}{6} = 0.5 \).

Step 5 :Calculate the probability of selecting an envelope with a $1000 check as \( \frac{3}{6} = 0.5 \).

Step 6 :Calculate the expectation as \( 0.5 \times 539 + 0.5 \times 1000 = 769.5 \).

Step 7 :The person's expectation is $769.5. So, the final answer is \( \boxed{769.5} \).

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