Question

Choose one of the 50 states at random. a.) what is the probability that it begins with M?

Answer 1

there are 8 states that begin with the letter m, so it would be 8/5 which = .16 

Answer 2

List of U.S states that start with M:

1.Maine
2.Maryland
3.Massachusetts
4.Michigan
5.Minnesota
6.Mississippi
7.Missouri
8.Montana

There are 8 states that start with the letter "M".
There are 50 states so the probability/ratio is 8:50 or $\frac{8}{50}$

But to reduce to lowest terms, you need to find a common factor. 
2 is a common factor. 

Divide both sides by 2. 8÷2=4 and 50÷2=25

It is 4:25 which is also $\frac{4}{25}$

If you want the percentage instead of the ratio, divide the numerator (top number) by the denominator (bottom number)

$4$ ÷ $25=.16$

Multiply by 100 and you get 16 which is equivalent to 16%

Answer: 

4:25 (ratio/probability)
or
16% (percentage)