Fighting Fish

You have 5 gold fish, 4 Siamese fighting fish and 1 deadly baby piranha in 10 different containers, which are all separated from the main fish tank by the trap doors. Swimming together, gold fish are harmless while the fighting fish will only attack their own kind. On the other hand, the ravenous piranha will devour everything in its way!

If you let 3 fish out of the containers randomly, what is the probability (in percentage) that no fish will be injured or dead?

Give your answer to the nearest integer.


The answer is 42.

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2 solutions

Satyabrata Dash
Apr 1, 2016

the number of ways of selecting non-harming pairs are ( 5 3 ) + ( 5 2 ) ( 4 1 ) = 50 {5 \choose 3} + {5 \choose 2}*{4 \choose 1} = 50

Total number of ways of selecting 3 fishes from 10 fishes are = ( 10 3 ) = 120 {10 \choose 3} = 120

so the probability os selection of non-harming pairs = 50 120 \frac{50}{120} 100 *100 = 41.66667 = 41.66667 % = 42 = 42 %(approx.)

There are only 2 scenarios where no fish will fight each other: 1. They are all gold fish. & 2. There are 2 gold fish and 1 Siamese fighting fish (it will only bite other fighting fish). The piranha can't be let out; otherwise, it will eat other fish.

The total number of ways we can pick 3 fish out of 10= 10 ! 3 ! 7 ! \frac{10!}{3!7!} = 120

The number of ways for scenario 1 (picking 3 out of 5 gold fish) = 5 ! 3 ! 2 ! \frac{5!}{3!2!} = 10

The number of ways for scenario 2 (picking 2 out of 5 gold fish & 1 out of 4 fighting fish) = 5 ! 3 ! 2 ! \frac{5!}{3!2!} 4 ! 3 ! 1 ! \frac{4!}{3!1!} = 40

Therefore, the probability that no fish will be injured or dead = 10 + 40 120 \frac{10+40}{120} = 50 120 \frac{50}{120} 42 \boxed{42} %

I did the same way. It would be better if you added the statement: "Fishes of the same kind aren't identical." This erases the ambiguity that may arise. Otherwise the problem is wonderful!

Aditya Kumar - 5 years, 2 months ago

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Thanks! ;)

Worranat Pakornrat - 5 years, 2 months ago

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I made it popular :)

Aditya Kumar - 5 years, 2 months ago

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@Aditya Kumar Thanks again! ;)

Worranat Pakornrat - 5 years, 2 months ago

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@Worranat Pakornrat This was posted earlier. Plaese delete it.

Aditya Kumar - 5 years, 1 month ago

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@Aditya Kumar Done. Now there's only one of them.

Worranat Pakornrat - 5 years, 1 month ago

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