Page 1 of 2
What are the odds?

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:21 pm
by ParadiceCity9
Me and 3 other people on our English vocab. homework all got the same 3 answers wrong. There were 40 questions. What were the odds that we would all get the same ones wrong with the same answers?
My teacher thought we cheated be we actually didn't. ):

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:31 pm
by william18
Perhaps all three studied together which might be a variable to this coincidence because all three of you studied the same information which means all three of you could have possibly forgot to study that one bit.

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:31 pm
by william18
Especially vocab.

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:55 pm
by ParadiceCity9
No dude. first of all it was 4 people, "Me and 3 other people" = 4. But it wasn't a test we didn't study anything it was just hw. We were provided a wordlist and we had to use the words from there. Completely individual.

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:59 pm
by Snorri1234
I can't be bothered to calculate it. Partly because I can't find my calculator, and partly because I forgot how to do this.

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 3:59 pm
by 0ojakeo0
Snorri1234 wrote:I can't be bothered to calculate it. Partly because I can't find my calculator, and partly because I forgot how to do this.

Re: What are the odds?

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:04 pm
by oggiss
ParadiceCity9 wrote:Me and 3 other people on our English vocab. homework all got the same 3 answers wrong. There were 40 questions. What were the odds that we would all get the same ones wrong with the same answers?
My teacher thought we cheated be we actually didn't. ):
40 questions
3 people
3 answers wrong (how many options?)
Re: What are the odds?

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:24 pm
by ParadiceCity9
oggiss wrote:ParadiceCity9 wrote:Me and 3 other people on our English vocab. homework all got the same 3 answers wrong. There were 40 questions. What were the odds that we would all get the same ones wrong with the same answers?
My teacher thought we cheated be we actually didn't. ):
40 questions
3 people
3 answers wrong (how many options?)
40

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:30 pm
by oggiss
40 answers on each question?

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:32 pm
by dustn64
I would look it up, but my calculator is upstairs. If you got one put:
- Code: Select all
40 nCr 3
I think. That will give you all the possibilities that you could have if you missed three questions.

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:36 pm
by oggiss
dustn64 wrote:I would look it up, but my calculator is upstairs. If you got one put:
- Code: Select all
40 nCr 3
I think. That will give you all the possibilities that you could have if you missed three questions.
9880, don't think so mate


Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:50 pm
by dustn64
oggiss wrote:dustn64 wrote:I would look it up, but my calculator is upstairs. If you got one put:
- Code: Select all
40 nCr 3
I think. That will give you all the possibilities that you could have if you missed three questions.
9880, don't think so mate

flip the numbers. I haven't done it for a while.

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:01 pm
by oggiss
dustn64 wrote:oggiss wrote:dustn64 wrote:I would look it up, but my calculator is upstairs. If you got one put:
- Code: Select all
40 nCr 3
I think. That will give you all the possibilities that you could have if you missed three questions.
9880, don't think so mate

flip the numbers. I haven't done it for a while.
that'll give math error
I am thinking something like
more to come


Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:07 pm
by ParadiceCity9
Keep in mind its 4 different people got the same exact answers...

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:20 pm
by sully800
Is this matching or fill in the blank with a word bank? Is so that increases the chances, because it means by getting one answer wrong you automatically get two answers wrong.
Is it multiple choice? If so that decreases the likelihood since you each could have guessed at a right answer.
Or is this free response or true false where you simply get the right or wrong answer?

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:23 pm
by oggiss
sully800 wrote:Is this matching or fill in the blank with a word bank? Is so that increases the chances, because it means by getting one answer wrong you automatically get two answers wrong.
Is it multiple choice? If so that decreases the likelihood since you each could have guessed at a right answer.
Or is this free response or true false where you simply get the right or wrong answer?
Our savior!


Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:44 pm
by autoload
When I saw the word "odds" in the title I knew sully would not be far behind!

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:52 pm
by Snorri1234
sully800 wrote:Is this matching or fill in the blank with a word bank? Is so that increases the chances, because it means by getting one answer wrong you automatically get two answers wrong.
Is it multiple choice? If so that decreases the likelihood since you each could have guessed at a right answer.
Or is this free response or true false where you simply get the right or wrong answer?
You're right. Without knowing what kind of questions it is the chances will be skewed.
Still, you could calculate the odds for it if you assume it's an independant choice. I.e. if there is only one answer correct and it doesn't interfere with the other questions. (I would be assuming this, or multiple choice, as the number of questions that were wrong is uneven.)

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:53 pm
by ParadiceCity9
First 20 were fill in the blanks. Last 20 were pick one of two to complete a sentence.

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:56 pm
by cena-rules
I just cant believe it took sully so long

Posted:
Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:38 pm
by MeDeFe
ParadiceCity9 wrote:First 20 were fill in the blanks. Last 20 were pick one of two to complete a sentence.
And in which part did you make the mistakes?

Posted:
Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:06 am
by Iliad
cena-rules wrote:I just cant believe it took sully so long
what are the odds?

Posted:
Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:33 pm
by ParadiceCity9
MeDeFe wrote:ParadiceCity9 wrote:First 20 were fill in the blanks. Last 20 were pick one of two to complete a sentence.
And in which part did you make the mistakes?
all fill in the blanks.

Posted:
Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:36 pm
by oggiss
That is quite tricky to calculate.
I am gonna ask my teacher.. or a friend


Posted:
Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:38 pm
by whitestazn88
is it possible that more people also got those three questions wrong, but also got other questions wrong?
maybe those 3 questions were just fucked up?