Penicillin “Who discovered penicillin: Marcel Bich, William Penn, Jonas Salk, Alexander Fleming, or Louis Pasteur?” If you make a random guess for the answer to that question, what is the probability that your answer is the correct answer of Alexander Fleming?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Identify the total number of possible answers provided in the question. In this case, there are 5 options: Marcel Bich, William Penn, Jonas Salk, Alexander Fleming, and Louis Pasteur.
2. Step 2: Recognize that the question asks for the probability of randomly guessing the correct answer, which is Alexander Fleming.
3. Step 3: Recall the formula for probability: \( P(A) = \frac{\text{Number of favorable outcomes}}{\text{Total number of possible outcomes}} \).
4. Step 4: Determine the number of favorable outcomes. Since there is only one correct answer (Alexander Fleming), the number of favorable outcomes is 1.
5. Step 5: Substitute the values into the probability formula: \( P(A) = \frac{1}{5} \). This represents the probability of randomly guessing the correct answer.

Key Concepts

Probability

Probability is a measure of the likelihood that a particular event will occur, expressed as a number between 0 and 1. In this context, it quantifies the chance of randomly selecting the correct answer from a set of options. If there are five possible answers, the probability of guessing correctly is 1 out of 5, or 0.2.

Random Guessing

Random guessing refers to making a choice without any prior knowledge or reasoning. In the context of the question, it implies selecting one of the five names without any information about who actually discovered penicillin. This method of selection assumes that each option has an equal chance of being chosen.

Sample Space

The sample space is the set of all possible outcomes in a probability experiment. For this question, the sample space consists of the five names provided: Marcel Bich, William Penn, Jonas Salk, Alexander Fleming, and Louis Pasteur. Understanding the sample space is crucial for calculating the probability of selecting the correct answer.