Question

A box contains 3 plain pencils and 9 pens. a second box contains 7 color pencils and 3 crayons. one item from each box is chosen at random. what is the probability that a plain pencil from the first box and a color pencil from the second box are selected?

Answer 1

Out of the first box the possibility would be 3:12 or 3 out of 12. The second box would be 7:10 or 7 out of 10

Answer 2

3 pencils and 9 pens = 12 total
probability of picking pencil in 1st box is 3/12 which reduces to 1/4

7 pencils and 3 crayons = 10 total
probability of picking pencil from 2nd box is 7/10

probability of both = (1/4 * 7/10) = 7/40 <==