To find the total number of possible outcomes when choosing one color of wallpaper and one color of carpet, you can use the fundamental counting principle. This principle states that if there are \(m\) ways to do one thing and \(n\) ways to do another, then there are \(m \times n\) ways to do both.
In this case, there are 3 options for the wallpaper (yellow, blue, or red) and 4 options for the carpet (tan, blue, black, or gray). To find the total number of outcomes, you multiply the number of options for each category:
1. Number of wallpaper options: 3 (yellow, blue, red)
2. Number of carpet options: 4 (tan, blue, black, gray)
Therefore, the total number of possible outcomes when selecting one color of wallpaper and one color of carpet is:
\(3 \times 4 = 12\) possible outcomes.