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Chapter-4-Basic-Probability Study Notes
Chapter-4-Basic-Probability Study Notes
Chapter-4-Basic-Probability Study Notes
Chapter 4
Basic Probability
Definition:
Probability is a chance that something of interest will happen.
A chance that an event of interest will occur.
Probability is expressed as a proportion from 0 to 1.
Chance can be expressed as a percentage from 0 to 100.
Examples:
1) The probability that it will be sunny tomorrow is 0.30.
3) There is an 80% chance of failing QTS105D when you skip lectures often.
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Random experiment: This is an experiment that gives different outcomes when repeated under
similar conditions.
• An experiment can have more than one possible outcome.
• All possible outcomes can be listed.
• The outcome that will occur when the experiment is performed depends on a chance.
Examples:
1) Tossing a coin (possible outcomes: head, tail).
2) Drawing a card from a deck of cards (possible outcomes: 13 hearts, 13 clubs, 13 spades, 13
diamonds).
Examples:
Sample point Sample space
1) Tossing a die.
𝑆 = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}
2) Tossing a die and a coin.
𝑆 = {ℎ1, ℎ2, ℎ3, ℎ4, ℎ5, ℎ6, 𝑡1, 𝑡2, 𝑡3, 𝑡4, 𝑡5, 𝑡6}
Simple events: Events that involves some sample points (outcomes) of the sample
space.
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Examples:
1) Let O denote the event “an odd number is obtained when tossing a die”.
2) Let D denote the event “at least a 1 appears when tossing a die and coin at the
same time”.
Venn diagrams: Circles that represents specific events within a square that
represent a sample space.
S Sample space
O 2
4 1
Event
3 5
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This is the experiment of tossing a single die. S = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}. The complement
of the event O = “obtaining an odd number” = {1,3, 5} and 𝑂 = “not obtaining an
odd number” = {2, 4, 6}.
The intersection of two events A and B, denoted by A and B, is the set of outcomes that are in
both A and B.
both A and B occur at the same time.
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𝐴 or 𝐵 = {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13}
𝐵 = 1,3,5,9,13,14,15
𝐴 = 1,3,5,7,9,11,13
𝐴 and 𝐵 = {1,3,5,9,13}
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A B
1) Let F be the event “driving a ford ranger at 17h00” and D the event “being in
the flight at 17h00”
The events F and D cannot occur at the same time (𝐹 and 𝐷 = ∅)
2) Let E be an event “an even number with a single toss of a die” and O the event
“an odd number with a single toss of a die”
𝐸 = 2,4,6 and 𝑂 = 1,3,5
E and O have no outcomes in common (𝐸 and 𝑂 = ∅).
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Definition of Probability
Properties of probability
•0≤𝑃 𝐴 ≤1
• 𝑃 𝐴 = 0, 𝐴 impossible event
• 𝑃 𝐴 = 1, 𝐴 certain event
Example: A bent coin is tossed 1000 times with heads coming up 528 times.
The probability of obtaining a head is:
𝑃 𝐻 = = 0.5280 (4 decimals)
The probability of obtaining tail is:
𝑃 𝑇 = 𝑃 𝐻 = 1−𝑃 𝐻 = 1− = 0.4720 (4 decimals)
Alternatively, 𝑃 𝑇 = = = 0.4720 (4 decimals)
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Example: Two coins are tossed. Find the probability of getting exactly two heads.
#𝐴 1
𝑃 𝐴 = = = 0.2500
#𝑆 4
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Marginal probabilities
Probabilities involving the occurrence of single event.
𝑃(𝐴) or 𝑃(𝐵) or 𝑃(𝐶) etc.
Joint probabilities
Probabilities involving the occurrence of two or more events.
The word “or” in probability is an indication of addition
𝑃(𝐴 or 𝐵)
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Not mutually exclusive are events that have outcomes in common or they occur
at the same time.
Example: There are two photocopying machines. Machine 1 is working 50% of the
time and Machine 2 is working 60% of the time. Both machines are
working 30% of the time. Calculate the probability that at least one of the
machines is working.
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2. What is the probability that the employee will be from the Finance department
(Fin) given that the employee is male (M)?
5
P(Fin and M) 50 5
P Fin M = = = = 0.2632
P(M) 19 19
50
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3. What is the probability that the employee will be in the Marketing (Mark) or in
the Finance department (Fin)?
26 10
P Mark or Fin = P Mark + P Fin = + = 0.7200
50 50
4. What is the probability that the employee will not be from the Marketing
department (Mark)?
26
P Mark = 1 − P Mark = 1 − = 0.4800
50
Sampling without
𝑃 𝐴 and 𝐵 = 𝑃 𝐴 𝑃 𝐵 𝐴 = 𝑃 𝐵 𝑃(𝐴|𝐵) replacement
• Independent events
Two events A and B are said to be independent if
Sampling with
𝑃 𝐴 and 𝐵 = 𝑃 𝐴 𝑃(𝐵) replacement
Example (Dependent events): A box has 12 bulbs, 3 of which are defective. If two bulbs are
selected at random without replacement, what is the probability that both are defective?
3 2
𝑃 𝑏1 and 𝑏2 = 𝑃 𝑏1 𝑃 𝑏2 𝑏1 = × = 0.0455
12 11
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Example (Independent events): Two cards are drawn at random from a deck of
playing cards with replacement. What is the probability that both these cards are
aces?
Solution: There are 4 aces in 52 deck of cards,
4 4 16
𝑃 𝐴 and 𝐴 =𝑃 𝐴 𝑃 𝐴 = × = = 0.0059
52 52 2704
Example (Independent events): A coin is tossed, and a single 6-sided die is rolled.
Find the probability of obtaining a head with a coin and rolling a 3 with the die.
1 1 1
𝑃 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 and 3 = 𝑃 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 × 𝑃 3 = =
2 6 12
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The factorial
The number of ways in which ‘𝑟’ objects can be arranged in a row, without
replacement.
𝑟! = 𝑟 𝑟 − 1 𝑟 − 2 … 2 × 1
• 𝑟! - is known as r factorial
• Note that 0! = 1! = 1
Examples:
1. In how many ways can 5 books be arranged in a book shelve?
The 5 books must be placed in 5 positions from 1st to 5th.
No. of ways = 5! = 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 120
2. Six athletes compete in a race. The number of order arrangements for
completing the race.
6! =6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1= 720 different ways
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Examples:
Combination - order does not matter
1) Four ministers (A, B, C, D) serve on a board of cabinet. Two people are to be
chosen from these 4 people. In how many ways can this be done?
4!
n Cr 4 C2 6
2!(4 2)!
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