Task of the Week: Packing Station

With a task from the Christmas Trail, we would like to present the last “Task of the Week” this year and draw attention to the possibility of addressing probabilities in the context of MCM.

Task: Packing Station in the Westend (task number: 779)

You should pick up two packages for the boss. You do not know their size. You guess behind which of the yellow boxes they could be (in each box can only be one package). What is the likelihood that the packages will really be behind the ones you picked?

First of all, it has to be clarified how many boxes there are. Then one can calculate the probability of picking the first box and the second box correctly. In this case, combinatorial considerations are necessary as to whether the order plays a role. As answer format, multiple choice was chosen for this task, whereby the correct solution can be expressed in terms of two possible answers: once as a fraction and once as an estimate with percent, which underlines the equivalence of both forms. The task is recommended from grade 9 onwards.

With this task, the MCM team says goodbye to the Christmas break and wishes all users a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We are curious to see how we can further develop the MCM project in the new year and look forward to an exciting time!