There are 4 slots, each containing any of letters a, m, h, t. What are the odds that letters stored in these slots read the word math

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First, determine what is the "sample space" of possible outcomes with 4 slots and the letters a m h t ?  I always like to start with the first slot and work my way though each slot.  The first slot can occupy any of the 4 letters, the next slot again can be any of the 4 letters,  The same is true for the last two slots.  So, in total, you have 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 possible combinations or 256 ways of displaying those 4 letters.  256 is your sample space and will be the denominator of your calculation.  Now, lets work on the numerator of your calculation. The 4 letters can be arranged to form the word "math" only one way, so the numerator must be equal to 1.  Hope this helps

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