How do you calculate the probability of drawing a king from a deck of cards?

The probability of drawing a king from a deck of cards is 4 out of 52, or 1/13.

To understand this, let's break it down. A standard deck of cards has 52 cards in total. These cards are divided into four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Each suit has 13 cards, which include one king. Therefore, there are four kings in the entire deck, one in each suit.

When calculating probability, you need to consider the number of favourable outcomes and the total number of possible outcomes. In this case, the favourable outcomes are the four kings, and the total possible outcomes are the 52 cards in the deck. The probability is then calculated by dividing the number of favourable outcomes by the total number of possible outcomes.

So, the probability P of drawing a king is given by the formula:
\[ P(\text{King}) = \frac{\text{Number of Kings}}{\text{Total Number of Cards}} = \frac{4}{52} \]

To simplify this fraction, you divide both the numerator and the denominator by their greatest common divisor, which is 4 in this case:
\[ \frac{4}{52} = \frac{4 \div 4}{52 \div 4} = \frac{1}{13} \]

Therefore, the probability of drawing a king from a standard deck of cards is \(\frac{1}{13}\). This means that if you were to draw a card from the deck, there is a 1 in 13 chance that it would be a king.