26. Phone calls for a company are routed randomly to one of eight call centers. Six are based in the United States, and two are based in another country. What is the probability that an incoming call will be routed to a U.S.-based call center?
Answer: D
The probability that an incoming call will be routed to a U.S.-based call center is 75%.
Given that there are six U.S.-based call centers out of a total of eight, the probability of an incoming call being routed to a U.S.-based call center is calculated as 6 out of 8, which simplifies to 75%.
A) 25%
This option is incorrect as it suggests that only one out of four calls is routed to a U.S.-based call center. With six U.S. call centers available, this probability is significantly underestimated.
B) 33%
This option is also incorrect. A probability of 33% would imply that roughly one out of three calls goes to a U.S.-based center, which does not reflect the actual distribution of the call centers since six out of eight is much higher.
C) 67%
While this option is closer to the correct probability, it still does not accurately represent the situation. A 67% probability indicates that two out of three calls are directed to a U.S. center, which is lower than the actual probability of 75%.
D) 75%
This is the correct option, as it accurately reflects the probability calculation of 6 U.S.-based call centers out of 8 total centers, which is indeed 75%.
Conclusion
The correct answer, 75%, is derived from the ratio of U.S.-based call centers to the total number of call centers. All other options fail to accurately represent this ratio, significantly underestimating the likelihood of a call being routed to a U.S.-based center. Thus, option D is definitively the right choice.