Nanyang Technological University

School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering

EE2006 Engineering Mathematics I
Tutorial 1 Probability & Statistics
1. (a) We want to choose one number at random from the digits 1, 2, 3. What is the
probability that we get an even number? An odd number? Write down the sum of
the two probabilities, what does that tell you?
(b) Three numbers are to be chosen at random from the digits 1, 2, 3 with replacement.
That is, the three digits are drawn, one following the other, with replacement. What
is the probability that
(i) none of the three digits is even?
(ii) exactly one is even?
(iii) exactly two are even?
(iv) all three are even?
Identify the rules you are using in each part of the question.
2. A chip is drawn from a box containing 4 chips labelled 000, 011, 101, 110. Let A, B, C
be the following events:
A = the 1st digit on the drawn chip is 1,
B = the 2nd digit on the drawn chip is 1,
C = the 3rd digit on the drawn chip is 1.
Write down the 3 sets that represent the 3 events.
Show that
(a) events A and B are independent,
(b) events A and C are independent,
(c) events B and C are independent,
(d) events A, B and C are dependent.
3. Consider the population of all families with 3 children. Let G denote a girl and B denote
a boy. Assume that a child is equally likely to be male or female. (As an example, the
notation BGB means the rst child is a boy, the second is a girl and the third is a boy.)
(a) Write down all the possible children compositions for a family with 3 children.
A family is selected at random from the population.
(b) What is the probability of obtaining a family with exactly 2 girls, given that the
family has at least one girl?
(c) What is the probability of obtaining a family with only 1 girl, given that the eldest
child of the family is a boy?
4. A factory has an automatic machine that produces an important part. Past records
indicate that at the beginning of the day the machine is set up correctly 70 percent
of the time. Past experience also shows that if the machine is set up correctly it will
produce good parts 90 percent of the time. If it is set up incorrectly, it will still produce
good parts 40 percent of the time. If the machine is set up and produces a good part,
what is the probability that it is set up correctly?
Answers
1.(a)
1
3
,
2
3
(b)
8
27
,
4
9
,
2
9
,
1
27
3. (a) GGG, BGG, GBG, GGB, BBG, BGB, GBB, BBB (b)
3
7
(c)
1
2
4. 0.84
2