Problem

What is the probability that if 4 letters are typed, no letters are repeated? Write your answer in decimal form, rounded to the nearest thousandth.

The probability that no letters are repeated is
Question Help:
Video
Message instructor

Answer

Expert–verified
Hide Steps
Answer

So, the probability that no letters are repeated when 4 letters are typed is approximately \(\boxed{0.659}\) when rounded to the nearest thousandth.

Steps

Step 1 :The first letter can be any of the 26 letters, so the probability is \(\frac{26}{26} = 1\).

Step 2 :The second letter must be different from the first, so there are only 25 choices left. The probability is \(\frac{25}{26}\).

Step 3 :The third letter must be different from the first two, so there are only 24 choices left. The probability is \(\frac{24}{26}\).

Step 4 :The fourth letter must be different from the first three, so there are only 23 choices left. The probability is \(\frac{23}{26}\).

Step 5 :To find the overall probability, we multiply the probabilities from each step: \(1 \times \frac{25}{26} \times \frac{24}{26} \times \frac{23}{26} = 0.6588\).

Step 6 :So, the probability that no letters are repeated when 4 letters are typed is approximately \(\boxed{0.659}\) when rounded to the nearest thousandth.

link_gpt