Chapter 3: Q.3.8 (page 98)
A couple has children. What is the probability that both are girls if the older of the two is a girl ?
Short Answer
is the probability that both are girls if the older of the two is a girl.
Chapter 3: Q.3.8 (page 98)
A couple has children. What is the probability that both are girls if the older of the two is a girl ?
is the probability that both are girls if the older of the two is a girl.
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Get started for freeAn urn initially contains 5 white and 7 black balls. Each time a ball is selected, its color is noted and it is replaced in the urn along with 2 other balls of the same color. Compute the probability that (a) the first 2 balls selected are black and the next 2 are white; (b) of the first 4 balls selected, exactly 2 are black.
In any given year, a male automobile policyholder will make a claim with probability pm and a female policyholder will make a claim with probability pf, where pf pm. The fraction of the policyholders that are male is α, 0 <α< 1. A policyholder is randomly chosen. If Ai denotes the event that this policyholder will make a claim in year i, show that P(A2|A1) > P(A1)
Give an intuitive explanation of why the preceding inequality is true.
A true–false question is to be posed to a husband and-wife team on a quiz show. Both the husband and the wife will independently give the correct answer with probability p. Which of the following is a better strategy for the couple?
(a) Choose one of them and let that person answer the question.
(b) Have them both consider the question, and then either give the common answer if they agree or, if they disagree, flip a coin to determine which answer to give
A and B flip coins. A starts and continues flipping
until a tail occurs, at which point B starts flipping and continues
until there is a tail. Then A takes over, and so on.
Let P1 be the probability of the coin landing on heads
when A flips and P2 when B flips. The winner of the game
is the first one to get
(a) 2 heads in a row;
(b) a total of 2 heads;
(c) 3 heads in a row;
(d) a total of 3 heads.
In each case, find the probability that A wins
A town council of members contains a steering committee of size . New ideas for legislation go first to the steering committee and then on to the council as a whole if at least of the committee members approve the legislation. Once at the full council, the legislation requires a majority vote (of at least ) to pass. Consider a new piece of legislation, and suppose that each town council member will approve it, independently, with probability p. What is the probability that a given steering committee member’s vote is decisive in the sense that if that person’s vote were reversed, then the final fate of the legislation would be reversed? What is the corresponding probability for a given council member not on the steering committee?
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