a) Well, this event is actually dependent. Why, you ask? Because the outcome of the first roll of the blue cube affects the possibilities for the second roll. So, it's like the blue cube is saying to the yellow cube, "Hey, buddy, here's what number I rolled, now it's your turn to do something with it!"
b) Now let's get to the calculation part. To find the probability that the blue cube is less than 3 and the product is 8, we need to consider both rolls. There are 6 possible outcomes for each cube, so that gives us a total of 36 possible outcomes.
For the blue cube to be less than 3, it can either be a 1 or a 2. There are 2 out of 6 possibilities for that, which is a probability of 2/6 or 1/3.
Now, for the product to be 8, we need the yellow cube to be a 4. There is only 1 out of 6 possibilities for that, which is a probability of 1/6.
Since these two events are dependent, we multiply the probabilities together: (1/3) * (1/6) = 1/18.
So, the probability that the blue cube is less than 3 and the product is 8 is 1/18. And remember, no matter how small that probability is, it's always greater than the probability of finding a unicorn in your backyard!