Playing “Pick 4” The Pick 4 games in many state lotteries announce a four-digit winning number each day. You can think of the winning number as a four-digit group from a table of random digits. You win (or share) the jackpot if your choice matches the winning number. The winnings are divided among all players who matched the winning number.

That suggests a way to get an edge.

(a) The winning number might be, for example, either 2873 or 9999. Explain why these two outcomes have exactly the same probability.

(b) If you asked many people whether 2873 or 9999 is more likely to be the randomly chosen winning number, most would favor one of them. Use the information in this section to say which one and to explain why. How might this affect the four-digit number you would choose?