A locker combination has two nonzero digits, and digits can be used twice. The first number is 8. What is the probability that the second number is 8?

A) [tex]\frac{1}{9}[/tex]
B) [tex]\frac{1}{8}[/tex]
C) [tex]\frac{7}{8}[/tex]
D) [tex]\frac{8}{9}[/tex]



Answer :

To determine the probability that the second digit of a locker combination is 8, given that the first digit is already 8, let's follow these steps:

1. Understand the range of possible digits: Nonzero digits range from 1 to 9. Hence, each digit can be one of the nine numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.

2. Determine the total number of possible outcomes: Since the second digit can also be any digit from 1 to 9, there are 9 possible choices for the second digit.

3. Identify the favorable outcome: We are interested in the specific event where the second digit is 8. There is only 1 favorable outcome (the digit being 8).

4. Calculate the probability: The probability is the number of favorable outcomes divided by the total number of possible outcomes.

[tex]\[ \text{Probability} = \frac{\text{Number of favorable outcomes (getting an 8)}}{\text{Total number of possible outcomes}} \][/tex]

Plug in the numbers:

[tex]\[ \text{Probability} = \frac{1}{9} \][/tex]

Therefore, the probability that the second number is 8, given that the first number is 8, is \(\frac{1}{9}\).

Thus, the correct answer is:
[tex]\[ \boxed{\frac{1}{9}} \][/tex]