IDNLearn.com offers a unique blend of expert answers and community-driven insights. Discover the information you need from our experienced professionals who provide accurate and reliable answers to all your questions.

What is the probability of someone correctly guessing your Social Security number? (Assume all digits 0-9 are available for use)a

Sagot :

[tex]\frac{1}{10^9}=\frac{1}{1000000000} [/tex]

Answer: 1 / 999,999,999

Explanation:

You can do it in two different ways.

1) First approach

probability = number of positive events / number of possible events

i) number of positive events = 1 (your number is just one number)

ii) number of possible events = number of valid numbers

Assuming the smallest valid number is 1, and the greatest one is 999,999,999, that leads to 999,999,999 different numbers

iii) probability = 1 / 999,999,999

2) Second approach

i) there are 9 digits.

ii) the guesser must guess all the digits in the correct order

iii) since there are 10 digits, from 0 to 9, there are 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 = 1,000,000,000 different combinations

But that includes the number 000,000,000 which is not valid, so you have to subtract 1: 1,000,000,000 - 1 = 999,999,999

Which leads to the same result of the first approach.

We appreciate your presence here. Keep sharing knowledge and helping others find the answers they need. This community is the perfect place to learn together. Your questions deserve reliable answers. Thanks for visiting IDNLearn.com, and see you again soon for more helpful information.