Friday, August 31, 2007  Drawing 3 cards one at a time vs.
Drawing 3 cards simultaneously - Those nasty probability
questions!  [For a detailed conceptual discussion of several
methods, read the excellent comments by Mike and novemberfive.]
It's 'probably' too early in the year for this, but... This is
one of those typical probability questions that all students
struggle with until they have enough experience to feel
comfortable. When away from these for awhile, most everyone
needs to revisit this kind of question and work through the
theory again. It's so elusive...  Here's a typical version of
this question:  Three cards are drawn at random from an ordinary
deck of 52. What is the probability that they will consist of a
king, a queen and an ace?  Do you feel totally comfortable when
seeing these? Imagine how most students feel. They either have a
strong concept here or they get that queasy feeling and express,
"I don't like these!"  So here's the issue: Is there one method
you have found for these that mak