You are a member of a class of 18 students. A bowl contains 18 chips: 1 blue and 17 red. Each student is to take 1 chip from the bowl without replacement. The student who draws the blue chip is guaranteed an A for the course.
(a) If you have a choice of drawing first, fifth, or last, which position would you choose? Justify your choice on the basis of probability.
(b) Suppose the bowl contains 2 blue and 16 red chips. What position would you now choose?