Question

Out of five siblings, what is the probability that the eldest and youngest children have the same gender?

Answer 1

To determine the probability that the eldest and youngest children have the same gender among five siblings, we need to consider the possible combinations of genders for the eldest and youngest children.

For each child, there are two possible genders: male (M) or female (F). Therefore, the total number of possible gender combinations for the eldest and youngest children is 2^2 = 4.

Let's examine each possible combination:

1. MM: The eldest and youngest are both male.
2. FF: The eldest and youngest are both female.
3. MF: The eldest is male and the youngest is female.
4. FM: The eldest is female and the youngest is male.

Out of these four combinations, two have the same gender for the eldest and youngest children (MM and FF).

Therefore, the probability that the eldest and youngest children have the same gender is 2/4 = 1/2, which can also be expressed as 0.5 or 50%.

So, there is a 50% chance that the eldest and youngest children have the same gender among the five siblings.