The Probability of a Single Piece Not Fitting

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 0 views

Introduction

Imagine buying a 750-piece jigsaw puzzle, excited to spend your weekend working on it, only to discover that the box contains 5 extra pieces that don't fit anywhere in the puzzle. This seemingly absurd scenario raises an interesting question: what are the chances of randomly selecting 5 pieces from the 750-piece puzzle that don't fit together? In this article, we'll delve into the mathematics behind this puzzle and explore the probability of encountering such a situation.

The Probability of a Single Piece Not Fitting

To begin, let's consider the probability of a single piece not fitting in the puzzle. Since the puzzle has 750 pieces, there are 749 other pieces that a given piece could potentially fit with. However, if we assume that the puzzle pieces are randomly arranged and that each piece has a unique shape and design, the probability of a single piece not fitting with any other piece is extremely low.

The Probability of 5 Pieces Not Fitting

Now, let's consider the probability of 5 pieces not fitting together. To calculate this probability, we need to consider the number of ways to choose 5 pieces from the 750-piece puzzle. This can be calculated using the combination formula:

C(n, k) = n! / (k!(n-k)!)

where n is the total number of pieces (750), k is the number of pieces we want to choose (5), and ! denotes the factorial function.

Plugging in the values, we get:

Q&A: Unraveling the Mystery of the 5 Extra Puzzle Pieces

Q: What are the chances of randomly selecting 5 pieces from the 750-piece puzzle that don't fit together?

A: To calculate the probability of 5 pieces not fitting together, we need to consider the number of ways to choose 5 pieces from the 750-piece puzzle. This can be calculated using the combination formula:

C(n, k) = n! / (k!(n-k)!)

where n is the total number of pieces (750), k is the number of pieces we want to choose (5), and ! denotes the factorial function.

Plugging in the values, we get:

C(750, 5) = 750! / (5!(750-5)!) = 1,134,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,111,