A stack of cards contains 17 red cards and 9 black cards. What are the odds against drawing a red card?
A) 9:17
B) 17:9
C) 9:26
D) 17:26

Question

A stack of cards contains 17 red cards and 9 black cards. What are the odds against drawing a red card?
A) 9:17
B) 17:9
C) 9:26
D) 17:26

mathmate · Answer

"Odds" represent a ratio of the probabilities, usually reduced to the simplest whole numbers.
Odds for will put the favourable probability first, and odds against will put the unfavourable probability first.

For example, in tossing a six-sided number cube, the odds against tossing a one is
P(2,3,4,5,6) : P(1)
=5/6 : 1/6
= 5:1

ilovepuppies · Answer

Uh... Ok?

ilovemysister1 · Answer

@mathmate it is A

mathmate · Answer

Correct!  @ilovemysister1 Well done!
But to respect @ILovePuppies chance of attempting an answer, you could pm me for your thoughts in the future!  :)  Thank you for understanding.