STA107 H5S: Supplementary Exercises # 1 Random Experiments and Probability

1. Two different dice are rolled and the numbers appearing on the upper-faces is recorded.
(a) What is the (random) experiment?
(b) Identify a sample point.
(c) Write out the sample space.
(d) Assign probabilities to each sample point.
(e) Consider the following events
A: the same number appears twice
B: at least one even number appears
C: different numbers appear on each die
D: the parity of the two numbers is the same
List the sample points in each of the above events.
(f ) Suppose you are interested in A and B only, draw a Venn Diagram.
(g) Find P (A), P (B), P (C D), P (Ac B), and P ((Ac B)c ).
2. An urn contains 20 balls: 5 green, 4 blue, 10 red, and 1 black (balls of the same color
are indistinguishable). One ball is selected at random and its colour is recorded.
(a) What is the sample space?
(b) What is the probability of drawing a green ball?
(c) What is the probability of drawing a ball that is not black?
(d) If you were to repeat this experiment infinitely many times, which colour do you
think would appear the most? Which would appear the least? Justify your answers.
3. An urn contains 20 balls: 5 green, 4 blue, 10 red, and 1 black. Suppose two balls are
selected at random as follows:
(a) Each ball is selected one at a time, with replacement. This means that first one
ball is selected (and its color is recorded) and placed back in the urn, then another
ball is selected from the urn (and its colour is recorded). How many sample points
does the sample space contain?
(b) Each ball is selected one at a time, without replacement. This means that first one
ball is selected (and its color is recorded) and then it is put aside, then another ball
is selected from the urn (and its colour is recorded). How many sample points does
the sample space contain?
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(c) Both balls are selected at the same time.

4. Consider the following sample space: = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}.
(a) What is the largest possible -algebra (of subsets of )?
(b) What is the smallest possible -algebra?
(c) Consider these events:
A: neither prime nor composite number and B: even number.
What is the smallest possible -algebra containing A and B.
Hint: construct the -algebra by starting with A and B and then following the
properties of a -algebra.
The following exercises are based on or directly from:
A Modern Introduction to Probability and Statistics by Dekking, Kraaikamp, Lopuhaa,
Meester.
5. (2.1) Let A and B be two events in a sample space for which P (A) = 2/3, P (B) = 1/6,
and P (A B) = 1/9. What is P (A B)?
6. (2.3) Let C and D be two events for which one knows that P (C) = 0.3, P (D) = 0.4,
and P (C D) = 0.2. What is P (C c D)?
7. (2.7) Let A and B be two events. Suppose that P (A) = 0.4, P (B) = 0.5, and P (AB) =
0.1. Find the probability that A or B occurs, but not both.
8. (2.9) A coin is tossed three times in a row and the up-faces are recorded.
9.

(a) Write out the sample space.

(b) Assign probabilities to each outcome in the sample space.
(c) Write down the set of outcomes corresponding to each of the following events:
A : we throw tails exactly two times.
B : we throw tails at least two times.
C : tails did not appear before a head appeared.
D : the first throw results in tails.
(d) Describe these event in plain English: Ac , A (C D), and A Dc
(e) Write down the set of outcomes corresponding to each of the following events:
Ac , A (C D), and A Dc .

10. (Quick Exercise 2.1)

(a) We find on our doormat three envelopes, sent to us by three different persons, and
we look in which order the envelopes lie on top of each other. Write out the sample
space.
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(b) Suppose we received mail from four different senders. How many sample points
would the sample space have now? (Hint: use part (a).)