Need The Answer Please!

[laurengano88]

In the dark, you are drawing socks from a drawer, one at a time (your family is asleep and you don't want to wake them...). The drawer contains 12 red socks, 11 white socks, 10 black socks, and 9 blue socks. What is the minimum number of socks you must draw from the drawer to be absolutely sure you have all of at least one of the colors?0

[fiction-factory]

>You'd have to pull out 43, before you could even guarantee a blue.

I don't see that, pixie. You must have at least one blue by the time you've picked 34 out

[pixie374]

Why? You could pick 12 red, 11 white and 10 black. That's 43, before you have a blue.

[fiction-factory]

That's 33 not 43 though

[bhg481]

Pixie - if you pull out 12 red you've got all of one colour.

[pixie374]

Lol ff... blame the budweiser :-)

[bhg481]

You've got to pull out all but one of each colour; the next sock will give you a full set of whatever colour that sock is.

[pixie374]

So... 34

[Mamyalynne]

Oh help us ,Pixie's on the bottle ;-)

I still like my answer to the riddle that wasn't asked.

[bhg481]

No, 39.

11 + 10 + 9 + 8 = 38 and then 1 more.

[fiction-factory]

That was my first answer, pixie- but I'd misinterpreted the question in the same way as I think you have. We don't want one of each- we want a full set of one colour

[bhg481]

The bottom line is that it's a dirty trick asking such a question when we're all ready for bed.

[pixie374]

Lol. Good luck all of you x

[Tuvok]

There are lots of sites that explain this (not necessarily with your quantities)
https://www.mytutor.co.uk/answers/1126/GCSE/Maths/Probability-Sock-Drawer-style-questions/

[fiction-factory]

I know from experience it's not a good idea to pose these sort of theoretical (artificial )problems in a secondary school probability lesson, but I enjoy doing them, especially after a beer or two

[Old_Geezer]

Is white a colour ? If so then 1.
Otherwise 13.

[Old_Geezer]

sorry 12

[fiction-factory]

How can you be absolutely sure you have a full set of one colour after picking just 12, O_G?

[Old_Geezer]

That wasn't the question. The question was "12 red socks, 11 white socks, 10 black socks, and 9 blue socks. What is the minimum number of socks you must draw from the drawer to be absolutely sure you have all of at least one of the colors?"

Either you get one first time. Or you draw all the white ones first, then get a colour.

[Old_Geezer]

Althought i see now i misread or misinterpreted. They want all of the colours not at least one. Apologies.

[Tilly2]

Put some sandals on, Lauren! Forget the socks.