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Given events J and K: P(J) = 0.18 ; P(K) = 0.37 ; P(J or K) = 0.45

  • Find P(J and K)
  • Find the probability of the complement of event (J and K)
  • Find the probability of the complement of event (J or K)
  • P(J or K) = P(J) + P(K) − P(J and K); 0.45 = 0.18 + 0.37 − P(J and K) ; solve to find P(J and K) = 0.10
  • P( NOT (J and K) ) = 1 − P(J and K) = 1 − 0.10 = 0.90
  • P( NOT (J or K) ) = 1 − P(J or K) = 1 − 0.45 = 0.55

United Blood Services is a blood bank that serves more than 500 hospitals in 18 states. According to their website, http://www.unitedbloodservices.org/humanbloodtypes.html, a person with type O blood and a negative Rh factor (Rh−) can donate blood to any person with any bloodtype. Their data show that 43% of people have type O blood and 15% of people have Rh− factor; 52% of people have type O or Rh− factor.

  • Find the probability that a person has both type O blood and the Rh− factor
  • Find the probability that a person does NOT have both type O blood and the Rh− factor.
  • P(Type O or Rh−) = P(Type O) + P(Rh−) − P(Type O and Rh−)
    0.52 = 0.43 + 0.15 − P(Type O and Rh−); solve to find P(Type O and Rh−) = 0.06
    6% of people have type O Rh− blood
  • P( NOT (Type O and Rh−) ) = 1 − P(Type O and Rh−) = 1 − 0.06 = 0.94
    94% of people do not have type O Rh− blood

At a college, 72% of courses have final exams and 46% of courses require research papers. Suppose that 32% of courses have a research paper and a final exam. Let F be the event that a course has a final exam. Let R be the event that a course requires a research paper.

  • Find the probability that a course has a final exam or a research project.
  • Find the probability that a course has NEITHER of these two requirements.
  • P(R or F) = P(R) + P(F) − P(R and F) = 0.72 + 0.46 − 0.32 = 0.86
  • P( Neither R nor F ) = 1 − P(R or F) = 1 − 0.86 = 0.14

In a box of assorted cookies, 36% contain chocolate and 12% contain nuts. Of those, 8% contain both chocolate and nuts. Sean is allergic to both chocolate and nuts.

  • Find the probability that a cookie contains chocolate or nuts (he can't eat it).
  • Find the probability that a cookie does not contain chocolate or nuts (he can eat it).
  • Let C be the event that the cookie contains chocolate. Let N be the event that the cookie contains nuts.
  • P(C or N) = P(C) + P(N) − P(C and N) = 0.36 + 0.12 − 0.08 = 0.40
  • P( neither chocolate nor nuts) = 1 − P(C or N) = 1 − 0.40 = 0.60

A college finds that 10% of students have taken a distance learning class and that 40% of students are part time students. Of the part time students, 20% have taken a distance learning class. Let D = event that a student takes a distance learning class and E = event that a student is a part time student

  • Find P(D and E)
  • Find P(E | D)
  • Find P(D or E)
  • Using an appropriate test, show whether D and E are independent.
  • Using an appropriate test, show whether D and E are mutually exclusive.
  • P(D and E) = P(D|E)P(E) = (0.20)(0.40) = 0.08
  • P(E|D) = P(D and E) / P(D) = 0.08/0.10 = 0.80
  • P(D or E) = P(D) + P(E) − P(D and E) = 0.10 + 0.40 − 0.08 = 0.42
  • Not Independent: P(D|E) = 0.20 which does not equal P(D) = .10
  • Not Mutually Exclusive: P(D and E) = 0.08 ; if they were mutually exclusive then we would need to have P(D and E) = 0, which is not true here.

When the Euro coin was introduced in 2002, two math professors had their statistics students test whether the Belgian 1 Euro coin was a fair coin. They spun the coin rather than tossing it, and it was found that out of 250 spins, 140 showed a head (event H) while 110 showed a tail (event T). Therefore, they claim that this is not a fair coin.

  • Based on the data above, find P(H) and P(T).
  • Use a tree to find the probabilities of each possible outcome for the experiment of tossing the coin twice.
  • Use the tree to find the probability of obtaining exactly one head in two tosses of the coin.
  • Use the tree to find the probability of obtaining at least one head.

  • P(H) = 140/250; P(T) = 110/250
  • 308/625
  • 504/625

A box of cookies contains 3 chocolate and 7 butter cookies. Miguel randomly selects a cookie and eats it. Then he randomly selects another cookie and eats it also. (How many cookies did he take?)

  • Draw the tree that represents the possibilities for the cookie selections. Write the probabilities along each branch of the tree.
  • Are the probabilities for the flavor of the SECOND cookie that Miguel selects independent of his first selection? Explain.
  • For each complete path through the tree, write the event it represents and find the probabilities.
  • Let S be the event that both cookies selected were the same flavor. Find P(S).
  • Let T be the event that both cookies selected were different flavors. Find P(T) by two different methods: by using the complement rule and by using the branches of the tree. Your answers should be the same with both methods.
  • Let U be the event that the second cookie selected is a butter cookie. Find P(U).

**Exercises 33 - 40 contributed by Roberta Bloom

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Source:  OpenStax, Engr 2113 ece math. OpenStax CNX. Aug 27, 2010 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11224/1.1
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