In Exercises 45-46, it is equally probable that the pointer on the spinner shown will land on any one of the eight regions, numbered 1 through 8. If the pointer lands on a borderline, spin again. Find the probability that the pointer will stop on an odd number or a number less than 6.

Probability is a measure of the likelihood that a particular event will occur, expressed as a number between 0 and 1. In this context, it quantifies the chance of the spinner landing on a specific set of outcomes, such as odd numbers or numbers less than 6. The total number of possible outcomes is crucial for calculating the probability of favorable outcomes.

The sample space is the set of all possible outcomes of a probability experiment. For the spinner, the sample space consists of the numbers 1 through 8. Understanding the sample space is essential for determining which outcomes meet the criteria of being odd or less than 6, as it provides the foundation for calculating probabilities.

Compound events involve the combination of two or more events. In this question, we are interested in the event of landing on an odd number or a number less than 6. To find the probability of this compound event, we must identify the outcomes that satisfy either condition and ensure we do not double-count any overlapping outcomes.