2011 AMC 10B Problem 13

Attempt Problem 13 of the 2011 AMC 10B below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2011 AMC 10B solutions, or check the answer key.

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13.

Two real numbers are selected independently at random from the interval [−20,10].[-20, 10]. What is the probability that the product of those numbers is greater than zero?
19\dfrac{1}{9}
13\dfrac{1}{3}
49\dfrac{4}{9}
59\dfrac{5}{9}
23\dfrac{2}{3}
Answer: D
Concepts:geometric probabilitycasework
Small hint:
The product is positive when both numbers have the same sign
Big hint:
The interval has 2020 negative units and 1010 positive units
Solution:
A selected number is negative with probability 2030=23\frac{20}{30}=\frac{2}{3} and positive with probability 1030=13.\frac{10}{30}=\frac{1}{3}. (Selecting exactly 00 has probability 0.0.) The product is positive exactly when both numbers have the same sign, so the probability is (23)2+(13)2=49+19=59.\left(\dfrac23\right)^2+\left(\dfrac13\right)^2=\dfrac49+\dfrac19=\dfrac59.
Thus, the correct answer is D .
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