High School

There are only [tex]r[/tex] red counters and [tex]g[/tex] green counters in a bag.

A counter is taken at random from the bag. The probability that the counter is green is [tex]\frac{3}{7}[/tex]. The counter is put back in the bag.

Two more red counters and three more green counters are put in the bag. A counter is taken at random from the bag. The probability that the counter is green is [tex]\frac{6}{13}[/tex].

Find the number of red counters and the number of green counters that were in the bag originally.

Answer :

To solve the problem, let's work through the steps using the information given:

1. Understanding the Problem:
- Initially, there are `r` red counters and `g` green counters.
- The probability of picking a green counter initially is [tex]\(\frac{3}{7}\)[/tex].

2. Setting Up the First Equation:
- The probability of picking a green counter is calculated by dividing the number of green counters by the total number of counters.
- Thus, from the first situation:
[tex]\[
\frac{g}{r + g} = \frac{3}{7}
\][/tex]
- This is our first equation.

3. After Adding Counters:
- We then add 2 more red counters and 3 more green counters to the bag.
- Now, the total number of red counters is [tex]\(r + 2\)[/tex] and green counters is [tex]\(g + 3\)[/tex].
- The probability of picking a green counter becomes [tex]\(\frac{6}{13}\)[/tex].

4. Setting Up the Second Equation:
- Again, the probability of selecting a green counter is the number of green counters divided by the total number of counters:
[tex]\[
\frac{g + 3}{(r + 2) + (g + 3)} = \frac{6}{13}
\][/tex]
- Simplifying the total counters in the denominator gives [tex]\(r + g + 5\)[/tex].
- So, the second equation is:
[tex]\[
\frac{g + 3}{r + g + 5} = \frac{6}{13}
\][/tex]

5. Solving the Equations:
- We solve the two equations simultaneously to find the values of [tex]\(r\)[/tex] and [tex]\(g\)[/tex].

6. Solution:
- From solving these equations, we find that the number of red counters originally was 12, and the number of green counters was 9.

Through this methodical approach, we determine the original numbers of red and green counters in the bag were 12 and 9, respectively. This step-by-step solution enables us to understand how these probabilities relate to the numbers of counters.