In many popular board games, a player rolls two dice and moves the number of spaces equal to the sum shown on the dice. Here is the assignment of probabilities to the sum of the numbers on the up faces when two fair dice are rolled: Suppose Scott rolls a sum of 9 on his first roll. What is the probability that Jennifer will have the same sum on her first roll?
A) 0
B) 4/6
C) 4/36
D) 9/36
E) 30/36

Question

In many popular board games, a player rolls two dice and moves the number of spaces equal to the sum shown on the dice. Here is the assignment of probabilities to the sum of the numbers on the up faces when two fair dice are rolled:  Suppose Scott rolls a sum of 9 on his first roll. What is the probability that Jennifer will have the same sum on her first roll?
A) 0 
B) 4/6 
C) 4/36 
D) 9/36 
E) 30/36

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

From the given probabilities, we can see that the only ways to get a sum of 9 are (3,6), (4,5), (5,4), and (6,3), each with a probability of 1/9.

So the probability that Jennifer will have the same sum on her first roll is the probability of rolling one of these four pairs which is 4/36 or 1/9.

Therefore, the answer is C) 4/36.

In Many Popular Board Games, a Player Rolls Two Dice