If you shuffle a standard deck and draw one card, what is the probability of drawing an Ace?

If you shuffle a standard deck and draw one card, what is the probability of drawing an Ace?

• A. 1/4
• B. 1/13
• C. 1/52
• D. 1/26

Answer: (B)

Probability is the number of favorable outcomes over the total number of possible outcomes. In a standard deck there are 52 cards and 4 Aces, so the chance of drawing an Ace is 4 out of 52, which simplifies to 1 out of 13. The idea that it would be 1/52 would mean you must pick a specific Ace, not any Ace. The notion of 1/26 would imply two favorable cards in the deck, and 1/4 would mean a quarter of the deck are Aces, which isn’t true. So the correct probability is 1/13.

Probability is the number of favorable outcomes over the total number of possible outcomes. In a standard deck there are 52 cards and 4 Aces, so the chance of drawing an Ace is 4 out of 52, which simplifies to 1 out of 13. The idea that it would be 1/52 would mean you must pick a specific Ace, not any Ace. The notion of 1/26 would imply two favorable cards in the deck, and 1/4 would mean a quarter of the deck are Aces, which isn’t true. So the correct probability is 1/13.