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Applied Statistics in Business And Economics 5th Edition by Doane -Test Bank

Applied Statistics in Business And Economics 5th Edition by Doane -Test Bank   Instant Download - Complete Test Bank With Answers     Sample Questions Are Posted Below   Chapter 05 Probability   True / False Questions 1. A sample space is the set of all possible outcomes in an experiment. True    False   2. The …

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Applied Statistics in Business And Economics 5th Edition by Doane -Test Bank

 

Instant Download – Complete Test Bank With Answers

 

 

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

 

Chapter 05

Probability

 

True / False Questions

1. A sample space is the set of all possible outcomes in an experiment.

True    False

 

2. The sum of all the probabilities of simple events in a sample space equals one.

True    False

 

3. The sum of the probabilities of all compound events in a sample space equals one.

True    False

 

4. Probability is the measure of the relative likelihood that an event will occur.

True    False

 

5. The probability of the union of two events P(A or B) can exceed one.

True    False

 

6. The empirical view of probability is based on relative frequencies.

True    False

 

7. Grandma’s predicting rain based on how much her arthritis is acting up is an example of the classical view of probability.

True    False

 

8. The odds of an event can be calculated by dividing the event’s probability by the probability of its complement.

True    False

 

9. The union of two events A and B is the event consisting of all outcomes in the sample space that are contained in both event A and event B.

True    False

 

10. The general law of addition for probabilities says P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A∩B).

True    False

 

11. Events A and B are mutually exclusive if P(A∩B) = 0.

True    False

 

12. Independent events are mutually exclusive.

True    False

 

13. If events A and B are mutually exclusive, then P(A) + P(B) = 0.

True    False

 

14. P(A | B) is the joint probability of events A and B divided by the probability of A.

True    False

 

15. Two events A and B are independent if P(A | B) is the same as P(A).

True    False

 

16. If events A and B are dependent, it can be concluded that one event causes the other.

True    False

 

17. For any event A, the probability of A is always 0 ≤ P(A) ≤ 1.

True    False

 

18. If events A and B are mutually exclusive, the joint probability of the events is zero.

True    False

 

19. When the outcome of a random experiment is a continuous measurement, the sample space is described by a rule instead of listing the possible simple events.

True    False

 

20. If A and B are independent events, then P(A or B) = P(A) P(B).

True    False

 

21. If A and B are mutually exclusive events, then P(A∩B) = P(A) + P(B).

True    False

 

22. The probability of A and its complement (A´) will always sum to one.

True    False

 

23. If event A occurs, then its complement (A´) will also occur.

True    False

 

24. The sum of the probabilities of two mutually exclusive events is one.

True    False

 

25. P(A∩B) = .50 is an example of a joint probability.

True    False

 

26. The general law of addition for probabilities says P(A or B) = P(A) P(B).

True    False

 

27. If P(A) = 0.50, P(B) = 0.30, and P(A∩B) = 0.15, then A and B are independent events.

True    False

 

28. Insurance company life tables are an example of the classical (a priori) approach to probability.

True    False

 

29. When two events cannot occur at the same time, they are said to be mutually exclusive.

True    False

 

30. The probability of events A or B occurring can be found by summing their probabilities.

True    False

 

31. When two events A and B are independent, the probability of their intersection can be found by multiplying their probabilities.

True    False

 

32. Two events are mutually exclusive when they contain no outcomes in common.

True    False

 

33. In a contingency table, the probability of the union of two events is found by taking the frequency of the intersection of the two events and dividing by the total.

True    False

 

34. Bayes’ Theorem shows how to revise a prior probability to obtain a conditional or posterior probability when another event’s occurrence is known.

True    False

 

35. The union of two events is all outcomes in either or both, while the intersection is only those events in both.

True    False

 

36. A contingency table is a cross-tabulation of frequencies for two categorical variables.

True    False

 

37. The number of arrangements of sampled items drawn from a population is found with the formula for permutations (if order is important) or combinations (if order does not matter).

True    False

 

38. If P(A) = .20 then the odds against event A‘s occurrence are 4 to 1.

True    False

 

39. The value of 7! is 5040.

True    False

 

 

Multiple Choice Questions

40. Events A and B are mutually exclusive when:

A. their joint probability is zero.

 

B. they are independent events.

 

C. P(A)P(B) = 0

 

D. P(A)P(B) = P(A | B)

 

41. If two events are complementary, then we know that:

A. the sum of their probabilities is one.

 

B. the joint probability of the two events is one.

 

C. their intersection has a nonzero probability.

 

D. they are independent events.

 

42. Regarding probability, which of the following is correct?

A. When events A and B are mutually exclusive, then P(A∩B) = P(A) + P(B).

 

B. The union of events A and B consists of all outcomes in the sample space that are contained in both event A and event B.

 

C. When two events A and B are independent, the joint probability of the events can be found by multiplying the probabilities of the individual events.

 

D. The probability of the union of two events can exceed one.

 

43. Independent events A and B would be consistent with which of the following statements:

A. P(A) = .3, P(B) = .5, P(AB) = .4.

 

B. P(A) = .4, P(B) = .5, P(AB) = .2.

 

C. P(A) = .5, P(B) = .4, P(AB) = .3.

 

D. P(A) = .4, P(B) = .3, P(AB) = .5.

 

44. Find the probability that either event A or B occurs if the chance of A occurring is .5, the chance of B occurring is .3, and events A and B are independent.

A. .80

 

B. .15

 

C. .65

 

D. .85

 

45. Regarding the rules of probability, which of the following statements is correct?

A. If A and B are independent events, then P(B) = P(A)P(B).

 

B. The sum of two mutually exclusive events is one.

 

C. The probability of A and its complement will sum to one.

 

D. If event A occurs, then its complement will also occur.

 

46. Within a given population, 22 percent of the people are smokers, 57 percent of the people are males, and 12 percent are males who smoke. If a person is chosen at random from the population, what is the probability that the selected person is either a male or a smoker?

A. .67

 

B. .79

 

C. .22

 

D. .43

 

47. Information was collected on those who attended the opening of a new movie. The analysis found that 56 percent of the moviegoers were female, 26 percent were under age 25, and 17 percent were females under the age of 25. Find the probability that a moviegoer is either female or under age 25.

A. .79

 

B. .82

 

C. .65

 

D. .50

 

48. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(V).

A. .20

 

B. .40

 

C. .50

 

D. .80

 

49. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(V | W).

A. .4000

 

B. .0950

 

C. .2375

 

D. .5875

 

50. Given the contingency table shown here, find the probability P(V´), that is, the probability of the complement of V.

A. .30

 

B. .50

 

C. .80

 

D. .15

 

51. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(W∩S).

A. .12

 

B. .30

 

C. .40

 

D. .58

 

52. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A or M).

A. .2500

 

B. .7500

 

C. .6250

 

D. .1250

 

53. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A2).

A. .1842

 

B. .1766

 

C. .8163

 

D. .0578

 

54. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A3B2).

A. .3212

 

B. .2933

 

C. .0942

 

D. .1006

 

55. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A2 | B3).

A. .0685

 

B. .1893

 

C. .3721

 

D. .1842

 

56. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A1 or B2).

A. .0933

 

B. .3182

 

C. .0300

 

D. .3854

 

57. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A1A2).

A. .00

 

B. .09

 

C. .28

 

D. .38

 

58. Given the contingency table shown here, find the probability that either event A2 or event B2 will occur.

A. .4454

 

B. .5054

 

C. .0600

 

59. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(B).

A. .85

 

B. .25

 

C. .45

 

D. .22

 

60. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A or B).

A. .25

 

B. .85

 

C. .60

 

D. .42

 

61. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(B | A).

A. .250

 

B. .555

 

C. .855

 

D. .625

 

62. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a randomly chosen employee who is under age 25 would be absent 2 or more days?

A. .625

 

B. .375

 

C. .150

 

D. .273

 

63. Oxnard Casualty wants to ensure that their e-mail server has 99.98 percent reliability. They will use several independent servers in parallel, each of which is 95 percent reliable. What is the smallest number of independent file servers that will accomplish the goal?

A. 1

 

B. 2

 

C. 3

 

D. 4

 

64. Given the contingency table shown here, does the decision to retire appear independent of the employee type?

Survey question: Do you plan on retiring or keep working when you turn 65?

A. Yes.

 

B. No.

 

65. Given the contingency table shown here, find the probability that a randomly chosen employee is a line worker who plans to retire at age 65.

Survey question: Do you plan on retiring or keep working when you turn 65?

A. .227

 

B. .419

 

C. .750

 

D. .315

 

66. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(RL).

Survey question: Do you plan on retiring or keep working when you turn 65?

A. .250

 

B. .315

 

C. .425

 

D. .850

 

67. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(W | M).

Survey question: Do you plan on retiring or keep working when you turn 65?

A. .145

 

B. .250

 

C. .581

 

D. .687

 

68. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(L or W).

Survey question: Do you plan on retiring or keep working when you turn 65?

A. .750

 

B. .588

 

C. .435

 

D. .895

 

69. Ramjac Company wants to set up k independent file servers, each capable of running the company’s intranet. Each server has average “uptime” of 98 percent. What must k be to achieve 99.999 percent probability that the intranet will be “up”?

A. 1

 

B. 2

 

C. 3

 

D. 4

 

70. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a mother in the study smoked during pregnancy?

A. .2591

 

B. .3174

 

C. .5000

 

D. .7401

 

71. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a mother smoked during pregnancy if her education level was below high school?

A. .2385

 

B. .0907

 

C. .3503

 

D. .3804

 

72. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a mother smoked during pregnancy and had a college degree?

A. .0111

 

B. .0428

 

C. .0803

 

D. .2385

 

73. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a mother smoked during pregnancy or that she graduated from college?

A. .0111

 

B. .2591

 

C. .3861

 

D. .7850

 

74. Given the contingency table shown here, if a mother attended some college but did not have a degree, what is the probability that she did not smoke during her pregnancy?

A. .2736

 

B. .8399

 

C. .8752

 

D. .9197

 

75. Given the contingency table shown here, find the probability that a mother with some college smoked during pregnancy.

A. .1078

 

B. .1746

 

C. .1601

 

D. .1117

 

76. Given the contingency table shown here, if a survey participant is selected at random, what is the probability he/she is an undergrad who favors the change to a quarter system?

A. .270

 

B. .135

 

C. .338

 

D. .756

 

77. Given the contingency table shown here, if a faculty member is chosen at random, what is the probability he/she opposes the change to a quarter system?

A. .10

 

B. .25

 

C. .40

 

D. .60

 

78. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a participant selected at random is a graduate student who opposes the change to a quarter system?

A. .135

 

B. .250

 

C. .375

 

D. .540

 

79. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a student attends a public school in a rural area?

A. .238

 

B. .714

 

C. .135

 

D. .567

 

80. Given the contingency table shown here, if a randomly chosen student attends a religious school, what is the probability the location is rural?

A. .142

 

B. .162

 

C. .167

 

D. .333

 

81. Given the contingency table shown here, if a randomly chosen student attends school in an inner-city location, what is the probability that it is a public school?

A. .189

 

B. .333

 

C. .500

 

D. .567

 

82. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(E).

A. .180

 

B. .300

 

C. .529

 

D. .641

 

83. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(E | F).

A. .160

 

B. .300

 

C. .340

 

D. .533

 

84. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A∩M).

A. .210

 

B. .360

 

C. .396

 

D. .583

 

85. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(F or G).

A. .160

 

B. .470

 

C. .650

 

D. .810

 

86. Given the contingency table shown here, find the probability that a randomly chosen individual is a female economics major.

A. .3404

 

B. .4700

 

C. .1600

 

D. .5333

 

87. Debbie has two stocks, X and Y. Consider the following events:

X = the event that the price of stock X has increased
Y = the event that the price of stock Y has increased
The event “the price of stock X has increased and the price of stock Y has not increased” may be written as

A. X′∩Y

 

B. X or Y

 

C. XY

 

D. X or Y

 

88. If P(A | B) = 0.40 and P(B) = 0.30, find P(AB).

A. .171

 

B. .525

 

C. .571

 

D. .120

 

89. A company is producing two types of ski goggles. Thirty percent of the production is of type A, and the rest is of type B. Five percent of all type A goggles are returned within 10 days after the sale, whereas only two percent of type B are returned. If a pair of goggles is returned within the first 10 days after the sale, the probability that the goggles returned are of type B is:

A. .014.

 

B. .140.

 

C. .070.

 

D. .483.

 

90. Given the contingency table shown here, find the joint probability that a call sampled at random out of this population is local and 2-5 minutes long.

A. .5000

 

B. .3125

 

C. .4000

 

D. .4625

 

91. Given the contingency table shown here, if a call is sampled at random, find the marginal probability that the call is long distance.

A. .3750

 

B. .6250

 

C. .4000

 

D. 300/500

 

92. If a call is sampled at random, the conditional probability that the call is not “6+” minutes long given that it is a long distance call is:

A. 120/300.

 

B. 10/300.

 

C. .9667.

 

D. .6667.

 

93. The following table gives a classification of the 10,000 shareholders of Oxnard Xylophone Distributors, Inc. A few numbers are missing from the table. Given that a shareholder holding 500-999 shares is picked, there is a 0.625 probability that the shareholder will be a woman. Consequently, what is the number of men holding 1000 or more shares?

A. 1,000

 

B. 250

 

C. 7,500

 

D. 500

 

94. In any sample space P(A | B) and P(B | A):

A. are always equal to one another.

 

B. are never equal to one another.

 

C. are reciprocals of one another.

 

D. are equal only if P(A) = P(B).

 

95. If P(AB) = 0.50, can P(A) = 0.20?

A. Only if P(A | B) = 0.10

 

B. Not unless P(B) = 0.30

 

C. Only if P(BA) = 0.60

 

D. If P(A) = 0.20, then P(AB) cannot equal 0.50.

 

96. The following relationship always holds true for events A and B in a sample space.

A. P(A | B) = P(B | A)

 

B. P(AB) = P(A | B) P(B)

 

C. P(A | B) = P(B | A) P(A)

 

97. The following probabilities are given about events A and B in a sample space: P(A) = 0.30, P(B) = 0.40, P(A or B) = 0.60. We can say that:

A. P(AB) = 0.70.

 

B. P(A) = P(AB).

 

C. P(AB) = 0.10.

 

D. A and B are independent events.

 

98. If P(A) = 0.35, P(B) = 0.60, and P(A or B) = 0.70, then:

A. A and B are mutually exclusive.

 

B. P(AB) = .15.

 

C. P(AB) = .25.

 

D. P(AB) = .35.

 

99. The following table shows the survival experience of 1,000 males who retire at age 65:

Based on these data, the probability that a 75-year-old male will survive to age 80 is:

A. 0.596

 

B. 1 – 0.596 = 0.404

 

C. 1 – 0.775 = 0.225

 

D. 0.769

 

100. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(G | M).

A. .1800

 

B. .0450

 

C. .3333

 

D. .1350

 

101. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(V or S).

A. .3825

 

B. .4300

 

C. .0475

 

D. .4775

 

102. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(V | S).

A. .2639

 

B. .1900

 

C. .0475

 

D. .4144

 

103. The manager of Ardmore Pharmacy knows that 25 percent of the customers entering the store buy prescription drugs, 65 percent buy over-the-counter drugs, and 18 percent buy both types of drugs. What is the probability that a randomly selected customer will buy at least one of these two types of drugs?

A. .90

 

B. .85

 

C. .72

 

D. .65

 

104. Two events are complementary (i.e., they are complements) if:

A. the sum of their probabilities equals one.

 

B. they are disjoint and their probabilities sum to one.

 

C. the joint probability of the two events equals one.

 

D. they are independent events with equal probabilities.

 

105. Which statement is false?

A. If P(A) = .05, then the odds against event A‘s occurrence are 19 to 1.

 

B. If A and B are mutually exclusive events, then P(A or B) = 0.

 

C. The number of permutations of five things taken two at a time is 20.

 

106. The number of unique orders in which five items (A, B, C, D, E) can be arranged is:

A. 5.

 

B. 840.

 

C. 120.

 

D. 24.

 

107. If four items are chosen at random without replacement from seven items, in how many ways can the four items be arranged, treating each arrangement as a different event (i.e., if order is important)?

A. 35

 

B. 840

 

C. 5040

 

D. 24

 

108. How many ways can we choose three items at random without replacement from five items (A, B, C, D, E) if the order of the selected items is not important?

A. 60

 

B. 120

 

C. 10

 

D. 24

 

109. The value of 6C2 is:

A. 15.

 

B. 30.

 

C. 720.

 

D. 12.

 

110. The value of 4P2 is:

A. 8.

 

B. 6.

 

C. 24.

 

D. 12.

 

111. The probability that event A occurs, given that event B has occurred, is an example of:

A. a marginal probability.

 

B. a conditional probability.

 

C. a joint probability.

 

D. more than one of the above.

 

112. If each of two independent file servers has a reliability of 93 percent and either alone can run the website, then the overall website availability is:

A. .9951.

 

B. .8649.

 

C. .9300.

 

D. .9522.

 

113. In a certain city, 5 percent of all drivers have expired licenses, 10 percent have an unpaid parking ticket, and 1 percent have both an expired license and an unpaid parking ticket. Are these events independent?

A. No

 

B. Yes

 

C. Can’t tell from given information

 

114. In a certain city, 5 percent of all drivers have expired licenses and 10 percent have an unpaid parking ticket. If these events are independent, what is the probability that a driver has both an expired license and an unpaid parking ticket?

A. .010

 

B. .005

 

C. .001

 

D. Cannot be determined

 

115. If two events are collectively exhaustive, what is the probability that one or the other will occur?

A. 1.00

 

B. 0.00

 

C. 0.50

 

D. Can’t tell from given information

 

116. Which best exemplifies a subjective probability?

A. The probability that a female age 30 will have an accident in a week’s car rental at Hertz

 

B. The probability that a pair of dice will come up 7 in a given throw

 

C. The probability that the summer Olympic games will be held in Chicago in 2020

 

D. The probability that a checked bag on Flight 1872 will weigh more than 40 pounds

 

117. Which best exemplifies the classical definition of probability?

A. The probability that a male age 50 will have an accident in a week’s car rental at Alamo

 

B. The probability that a pair of dice will come up 7 when they are rolled

 

C. The probability that the winter Olympic games will be held in Europe in 2022

 

D. The probability that a checked bag on Flight 1872 will weigh more than 30 pounds

 

118. Which best exemplifies the empirical definition of probability?

A. The probability that a Chinese athlete will win the diving competition in the next Olympics

 

B. The probability that a fair coin will come up heads when it is flipped

 

C. The probability that your own bank will become insolvent within 12 months

 

D. The probability that a checked bag on Flight 1872 will weigh less than 30 pounds

 

119. From the following tree, find the probability that a randomly chosen person will get the flu vaccine and will also get the flu.

A. .10

 

B. .07

 

C. .19

 

D. .70

 

120. From the following tree, find the probability that a randomly chosen person will not get a vaccination and will not get the flu.

A. .18

 

B. .60

 

C. .19

 

D. .70

 

121. From the following tree, find the probability that a randomly chosen person will get the flu.

A. .19

 

B. .07

 

C. .81

 

D. .70

 

122. At Joe’s Restaurant, 80 percent of the diners are new customers (N), while 20 percent are returning customers (R). Fifty percent of the new customers pay by credit card, compared with 70 percent of the regular customers. If a customer pays by credit card, what is the probability that the customer is a new customer?

A. .7407

 

B. .8000

 

C. .5400

 

D. .5000

 

123. At Dolon General Hospital, 30 percent of the patients have Medicare insurance (M) while 70 percent do not have Medicare insurance (M´). Twenty percent of the Medicare patients arrive by ambulance, compared with 10 percent of the non-Medicare patients. If a patient arrives by ambulance, what is the probability that the patient has Medicare insurance?

A. .7000

 

B. .5000

 

C. .4615

 

D. .1300

 

 

Short Answer Questions

124. Axolotl, Inc. decided to double the number of independent network file servers, each server being capable of running its entire internal corporate network. Bob suggested that “doubling the number of file servers in our corporate network will just double the chances of failure.” Is Bob right? Has the company made an error?

 

 

 

 

125. A baseball player said, “Yes, I’m in a batting slump. But the law of averages has got to catch up sooner or later. I’m bound to improve.” Discuss the logic of this statement.

 

 

 

 

126. Recently, a few companies have been accused of issuing stock options to their top executives at the lowest stock price of the year. Executives can later sell these stock shares at a higher price and make a large profit. In some companies, this happened several years in a row. An executive argued, “It’s just a coincidence. There are about 250 trading days in a year, so there is a reasonable chance that my option price just happened to be lowest of the year.” Discuss.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 05 Probability Answer Key

True / False Questions

1. A sample space is the set of all possible outcomes in an experiment.

TRUE

Review the definition of sample space.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-01 Describe the sample space of a random experiment.
Topic: Random Experiments
 

 

2. The sum of all the probabilities of simple events in a sample space equals one.

TRUE

Simple events are nonoverlapping, so they sum to unity.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

3. The sum of the probabilities of all compound events in a sample space equals one.

FALSE

Compound events may overlap, so you can’t simply add their probabilities.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Probability
 

 

4. Probability is the measure of the relative likelihood that an event will occur.

TRUE

This is one of three ways to view probability.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Probability
 

 

5. The probability of the union of two events P(A or B) can exceed one.

FALSE

Review the General Rule of Addition. No event probability can exceed one.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

6. The empirical view of probability is based on relative frequencies.

TRUE

This is one view of probability, based on experience.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-02 Distinguish among the three views of probability.
Topic: Probability
 

 

7. Grandma’s predicting rain based on how much her arthritis is acting up is an example of the classical view of probability.

FALSE

This would be a subjective probability, where no data are available.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-02 Distinguish among the three views of probability.
Topic: Probability
 

 

8. The odds of an event can be calculated by dividing the event’s probability by the probability of its complement.

TRUE

Review the definition of odds.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-04 Calculate odds from given probabilities.
Topic: Probability
 

 

9. The union of two events A and B is the event consisting of all outcomes in the sample space that are contained in both event A and event B.

FALSE

The union is all outcomes in either A or B.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

10. The general law of addition for probabilities says P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A∩B).

TRUE

We must subtract the probability of the event intersection from the sum.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

11. Events A and B are mutually exclusive if P(A∩B) = 0.

TRUE

Nonoverlapping events cannot both occur (intersection is the empty set).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

12. Independent events are mutually exclusive.

FALSE

Only if P(A∩B) = 0 would they be mutually exclusive.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

13. If events A and B are mutually exclusive, then P(A) + P(B) = 0.

FALSE

Their intersection would have zero probability, but not their sum.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

14. P(A | B) is the joint probability of events A and B divided by the probability of A.

FALSE

You would divide the joint probability by P(B) rather than by P(A).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

15. Two events A and B are independent if P(A | B) is the same as P(A).

TRUE

This is the definition of independence. Event B does not affect event A.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

16. If events A and B are dependent, it can be concluded that one event causes the other.

FALSE

Maybe there is causation, but both events could be affected by something else.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

17. For any event A, the probability of A is always 0 ≤ P(A) ≤ 1.

TRUE

Any probability must be between 0 and 1.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Probability
 

 

18. If events A and B are mutually exclusive, the joint probability of the events is zero.

TRUE

The intersection of nonoverlapping events is the empty set.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

19. When the outcome of a random experiment is a continuous measurement, the sample space is described by a rule instead of listing the possible simple events.

TRUE

For example, speeds of vehicles on a freeway are not listable (nonintegers).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-01 Describe the sample space of a random experiment.
Topic: Random Experiments
 

 

20. If A and B are independent events, then P(A or B) = P(A) P(B).

FALSE

Review the definition of independence. The proffered statement would have been correct if “and” were substituted for “or.” The correct statement would be P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A∩B).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

21. If A and B are mutually exclusive events, then P(A∩B) = P(A) + P(B).

FALSE

Their intersection is empty so it has zero probability.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

22. The probability of A and its complement (A´) will always sum to one.

TRUE

An event and its complement comprise the sample space.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

23. If event A occurs, then its complement (A´) will also occur.

FALSE

An event and its complement are nonoverlapping.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

24. The sum of the probabilities of two mutually exclusive events is one.

FALSE

Review definitions for event probabilities. No probability can exceed one.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

25. P(A∩B) = .50 is an example of a joint probability.

TRUE

Intersection of two events yields a joint probability.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

26. The general law of addition for probabilities says P(A or B) = P(A) P(B).

FALSE

Review the General Law of Addition: P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A∩B).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

27. If P(A) = 0.50, P(B) = 0.30, and P(A∩B) = 0.15, then A and B are independent events.

TRUE

This is true because for independent events: P(AB) = P(A) P(B) and in this example P(A) P(B) = (.50)(.30) = .15 = P(AB).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

28. Insurance company life tables are an example of the classical (a priori) approach to probability.

FALSE

Actuarial data are based on relative frequencies (empirical probability).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-02 Distinguish among the three views of probability.
Topic: Probability
 

 

29. When two events cannot occur at the same time, they are said to be mutually exclusive.

TRUE

This is the definition of mutually exclusive events.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

30. The probability of events A or B occurring can be found by summing their probabilities.

FALSE

Event probabilities cannot be summed unless their intersection is the empty set.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

31. When two events A and B are independent, the probability of their intersection can be found by multiplying their probabilities.

TRUE

This is true by the definition of independent events.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

32. Two events are mutually exclusive when they contain no outcomes in common.

TRUE

This is the definition of mutually exclusive events.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

33. In a contingency table, the probability of the union of two events is found by taking the frequency of the intersection of the two events and dividing by the total.

FALSE

Review the general law of addition P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A∩B). The given statement is a joint probability P(A and B) rather than a union P(A or B).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

34. Bayes’ Theorem shows how to revise a prior probability to obtain a conditional or posterior probability when another event’s occurrence is known.

TRUE

This is a rather general statement about Bayes’ contribution to statistics.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-08 Use Bayes’ Theorem to calculate revised probabilities.
Topic: Bayes’ Theorem
 

 

35. The union of two events is all outcomes in either or both, while the intersection is only those events in both.

TRUE

Review definitions of union and intersection.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

36. A contingency table is a cross-tabulation of frequencies for two categorical variables.

TRUE

The categories define the rows and columns.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

37. The number of arrangements of sampled items drawn from a population is found with the formula for permutations (if order is important) or combinations (if order does not matter).

TRUE

Review definitions of permutations and combinations.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-09 Apply counting rules to calculate possible event arrangements.
Topic: Counting Rules
 

 

38. If P(A) = .20 then the odds against event A‘s occurrence are 4 to 1.

TRUE

Review definition of odds.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-04 Calculate odds from given probabilities.
Topic: Probability
 

 

39. The value of 7! is 5040.

TRUE

Factorial n (written as n!) is 7! = 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 5040.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-09 Apply counting rules to calculate possible event arrangements.
Topic: Counting Rules
 

 

Multiple Choice Questions

40. Events A and B are mutually exclusive when:

A. their joint probability is zero.

 

B. they are independent events.

 

C. P(A)P(B) = 0

 

D. P(A)P(B) = P(A | B)

Review definition of mutually exclusive.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

41. If two events are complementary, then we know that:

A. the sum of their probabilities is one.

 

B. the joint probability of the two events is one.

 

C. their intersection has a nonzero probability.

 

D. they are independent events.

Review definition of complementary events.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

42. Regarding probability, which of the following is correct?

A. When events A and B are mutually exclusive, then P(A∩B) = P(A) + P(B).

 

B. The union of events A and B consists of all outcomes in the sample space that are contained in both event A and event B.

 

C. When two events A and B are independent, the joint probability of the events can be found by multiplying the probabilities of the individual events.

 

D. The probability of the union of two events can exceed one.

Review the rules of probability.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

43. Independent events A and B would be consistent with which of the following statements:

A. P(A) = .3, P(B) = .5, P(AB) = .4.

 

B. P(A) = .4, P(B) = .5, P(AB) = .2.

 

C. P(A) = .5, P(B) = .4, P(AB) = .3.

 

D. P(A) = .4, P(B) = .3, P(AB) = .5.

For independence, the product P(A)P(B) must equal P(AB).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

44. Find the probability that either event A or B occurs if the chance of A occurring is .5, the chance of B occurring is .3, and events A and B are independent.

A. .80

 

B. .15

 

C. .65

 

D. .85

Given that the events are independent, the product P(A)P(B) must equal P(AB). Thus, P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(AB) = .50 + .30 – (.50)(.30) = .80 – .15 = .65 using the General Law of Addition.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

45. Regarding the rules of probability, which of the following statements is correct?

A. If A and B are independent events, then P(B) = P(A)P(B).

 

B. The sum of two mutually exclusive events is one.

 

C. The probability of A and its complement will sum to one.

 

D. If event A occurs, then its complement will also occur.

Review the rules of probabilities.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

46. Within a given population, 22 percent of the people are smokers, 57 percent of the people are males, and 12 percent are males who smoke. If a person is chosen at random from the population, what is the probability that the selected person is either a male or a smoker?

A. .67

 

B. .79

 

C. .22

 

D. .43

Use the General Law of Addition P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A∩B).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

47. Information was collected on those who attended the opening of a new movie. The analysis found that 56 percent of the moviegoers were female, 26 percent were under age 25, and 17 percent were females under the age of 25. Find the probability that a moviegoer is either female or under age 25.

A. .79

 

B. .82

 

C. .65

 

D. .50

Use the General Law of Addition P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A∩B).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

48. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(V).

A. .20

 

B. .40

 

C. .50

 

D. .80

This is a marginal probability P(V) = 40/200 = .20.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

49. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(V | W).

A. .4000

 

B. .0950

 

C. .2375

 

D. .5875

This is a conditional probability P(V|W) = 19/80.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

50. Given the contingency table shown here, find the probability P(V´), that is, the probability of the complement of V.

A. .30

 

B. .50

 

C. .80

 

D. .15

Calculate the probability of the complement of V by subtracting from its marginal probability P(V) = 40/200 to get P(V´) = 1 – P(V) = 1 – 40/200.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

51. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(W∩S).

A. .12

 

B. .30

 

C. .40

 

D. .58

This is a joint probability P(W and S) = 24/200.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

52. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A or M).

A. .2500

 

B. .7500

 

C. .6250

 

D. .1250

Use the General Law of Addition P(A or M) = 100/200 + 50/200 – 25/200.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

53. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A2).

A. .1842

 

B. .1766

 

C. .8163

 

D. .0578

This is a marginal probability: P(A2) = 86/467.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

54. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A3B2).

A. .3212

 

B. .2933

 

C. .0942

 

D. .1006

This is a joint probability: P(A3 and B2) = 44/467.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

55. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A2 | B3).

A. .0685

 

B. .1893

 

C. .3721

 

D. .1842

This is a conditional probability: P(A2|B3) = 32/169.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

56. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A1 or B2).

A. .0933

 

B. .3182

 

C. .0300

 

D. .3854

Apply the General Law of Addition: P(A1 or B2) = 44/467 + 150/467 – 14/467.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

57. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A1A2).

A. .00

 

B. .09

 

C. .28

 

D. .38

This is a joint probability. The important thing here is that events A1 and A2 are mutually exclusive and so both events cannot occur.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

58. Given the contingency table shown here, find the probability that either event A2 or event B2 will occur.

A. .4454

 

B. .5054

 

C. .0600

Use the General Law of Addition: P(A2 or B2) = 86/467 + 150/467 – 28/467.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

59. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(B).

A. .85

 

B. .25

 

C. .45

 

D. .22

This is a marginal probability: P(B) = 90/200.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

60. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A or B).

A. .25

 

B. .85

 

C. .60

 

D. .42

Use the General Law of Addition: P(A or B) = 80/200 + 90/200 – 50/200.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

61. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(B | A).

A. .250

 

B. .555

 

C. .855

 

D. .625

This is a conditional probability: P(B|A) = 50/80.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

62. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a randomly chosen employee who is under age 25 would be absent 2 or more days?

A. .625

 

B. .375

 

C. .150

 

D. .273

This is a conditional probability: P(B‘|A) = 30/80.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

63. Oxnard Casualty wants to ensure that their e-mail server has 99.98 percent reliability. They will use several independent servers in parallel, each of which is 95 percent reliable. What is the smallest number of independent file servers that will accomplish the goal?

A. 1

 

B. 2

 

C. 3

 

D. 4

1 – P(F1F2F3) = 1 – (.05) (.05) (.05) = 1 – .000125 = .999875, so 3 servers will do.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

64. Given the contingency table shown here, does the decision to retire appear independent of the employee type?

Survey question: Do you plan on retiring or keep working when you turn 65?

A. Yes.

 

B. No.

Does the product of the marginal probabilities equal their joint probability? This can be checked by asking whether P(M and R) = P(M) P(R). In this example, because (31/124)(52/124) = 13/124, we can see that M and R are independent events.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

65. Given the contingency table shown here, find the probability that a randomly chosen employee is a line worker who plans to retire at age 65.

Survey question: Do you plan on retiring or keep working when you turn 65?

A. .227

 

B. .419

 

C. .750

 

D. .315

This is a joint probability: P(L and R) = 39/124.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

66. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(RL).

Survey question: Do you plan on retiring or keep working when you turn 65?

A. .250

 

B. .315

 

C. .425

 

D. .850

This is a joint probability: P(RL) = 39/124.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

67. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(W | M).

Survey question: Do you plan on retiring or keep working when you turn 65?

A. .145

 

B. .250

 

C. .581

 

D. .687

This is a conditional probability: P(W | M) = 18/31.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

68. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(L or W).

Survey question: Do you plan on retiring or keep working when you turn 65?

A. .750

 

B. .588

 

C. .435

 

D. .895

Use the General Law of Addition: P(L or W) = 93/124 + 72/124 – 54/124.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

69. Ramjac Company wants to set up k independent file servers, each capable of running the company’s intranet. Each server has average “uptime” of 98 percent. What must k be to achieve 99.999 percent probability that the intranet will be “up”?

A. 1

 

B. 2

 

C. 3

 

D. 4

1 – P(F1F2F3) = 1 – (.02)(.02)(.02) = 1 – .000008 = .999992, so 3 servers will do.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

70. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a mother in the study smoked during pregnancy?

A. .2591

 

B. .3174

 

C. .5000

 

D. .7401

This is a marginal probability: P(smoked) = 1122/4331.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

71. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a mother smoked during pregnancy if her education level was below high school?

A. .2385

 

B. .0907

 

C. .3503

 

D. .3804

This is a conditional probability: P(smoked | below high school) = 393/1033.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

72. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a mother smoked during pregnancy and had a college degree?

A. .0111

 

B. .0428

 

C. .0803

 

D. .2385

This is a joint probability: P(smoked and college) = 48/4331.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

73. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a mother smoked during pregnancy or that she graduated from college?

A. .0111

 

B. .2591

 

C. .3861

 

D. .7850

Use the General Law of Addition: 1122/4331 + 598/4331 – 48/4331.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

74. Given the contingency table shown here, if a mother attended some college but did not have a degree, what is the probability that she did not smoke during her pregnancy?

A. .2736

 

B. .8399

 

C. .8752

 

D. .9197

This is a conditional probability: 635/756.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

75. Given the contingency table shown here, find the probability that a mother with some college smoked during pregnancy.

A. .1078

 

B. .1746

 

C. .1601

 

D. .1117

This is a conditional probability: 121/7561.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

76. Given the contingency table shown here, if a survey participant is selected at random, what is the probability he/she is an undergrad who favors the change to a quarter system?

A. .270

 

B. .135

 

C. .338

 

D. .756

This is a joint probability: P(U and S) = 27/200.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

77. Given the contingency table shown here, if a faculty member is chosen at random, what is the probability he/she opposes the change to a quarter system?

A. .10

 

B. .25

 

C. .40

 

D. .60

This is a marginal probability: P(N | F) = 20/50 = .40.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

78. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a participant selected at random is a graduate student who opposes the change to a quarter system?

A. .135

 

B. .250

 

C. .375

 

D. .540

This is a joint probability: P(G and N) = 27/200.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

79. Given the contingency table shown here, what is the probability that a student attends a public school in a rural area?

A. .238

 

B. .714

 

C. .135

 

D. .567

This is a marginal probability.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

80. Given the contingency table shown here, if a randomly chosen student attends a religious school, what is the probability the location is rural?

A. .142

 

B. .162

 

C. .167

 

D. .333

This is a conditional probability: P(R | L) = 5/30 = .167.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

81. Given the contingency table shown here, if a randomly chosen student attends school in an inner-city location, what is the probability that it is a public school?

A. .189

 

B. .333

 

C. .500

 

D. .567

This is a conditional probability: P(P | I) = 35/70 = .500.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

82. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(E).

A. .180

 

B. .300

 

C. .529

 

D. .641

This is a marginal probability: P(E) = 300/1000 = .300.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

83. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(E | F).

A. .160

 

B. .300

 

C. .340

 

D. .533

This is a conditional probability: P(E | F) = 160/470 = .340.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

84. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(A∩M).

A. .210

 

B. .360

 

C. .396

 

D. .583

This is a joint probability: P(A∩M) = 210/1000 = .210.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

85. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(F or G).

A. .160

 

B. .470

 

C. .650

 

D. .810

Use the General Law of Addition: P(F or G) = 470/1000 + 340/1000 – 160/1000.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

86. Given the contingency table shown here, find the probability that a randomly chosen individual is a female economics major.

A. .3404

 

B. .4700

 

C. .1600

 

D. .5333

This is a joint probability: P(F and E) = 160/1000 = .16.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

87. Debbie has two stocks, X and Y. Consider the following events:

X = the event that the price of stock X has increased
Y = the event that the price of stock Y has increased
The event “the price of stock X has increased and the price of stock Y has not increased” may be written as

A. X′∩Y

 

B. X or Y

 

C. XY

 

D. X or Y

This is a joint probability that also entails the notation for an event’s complement.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

88. If P(A | B) = 0.40 and P(B) = 0.30, find P(AB).

A. .171

 

B. .525

 

C. .571

 

D. .120

Use the definition for conditional probability.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

89. A company is producing two types of ski goggles. Thirty percent of the production is of type A, and the rest is of type B. Five percent of all type A goggles are returned within 10 days after the sale, whereas only two percent of type B are returned. If a pair of goggles is returned within the first 10 days after the sale, the probability that the goggles returned are of type B is:

A. .014.

 

B. .140.

 

C. .070.

 

D. .483.

Review Bayes’ Theorem, and perhaps make a table or tree.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-08 Use Bayes’ Theorem to calculate revised probabilities.
Topic: Bayes’ Theorem
 

 

90. Given the contingency table shown here, find the joint probability that a call sampled at random out of this population is local and 2-5 minutes long.

A. .5000

 

B. .3125

 

C. .4000

 

D. .4625

This is a joint probability. You must add the column frequencies.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

91. Given the contingency table shown here, if a call is sampled at random, find the marginal probability that the call is long distance.

A. .3750

 

B. .6250

 

C. .4000

 

D. 300/500

You must first add the column frequencies.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

92. If a call is sampled at random, the conditional probability that the call is not “6+” minutes long given that it is a long distance call is:

A. 120/300.

 

B. 10/300.

 

C. .9667.

 

D. .6667.

Calculate the conditional probability 1 – 10/300 = .9667.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

93. The following table gives a classification of the 10,000 shareholders of Oxnard Xylophone Distributors, Inc. A few numbers are missing from the table. Given that a shareholder holding 500-999 shares is picked, there is a 0.625 probability that the shareholder will be a woman. Consequently, what is the number of men holding 1000 or more shares?

A. 1,000

 

B. 250

 

C. 7,500

 

D. 500

Multiply by the column total and subtract to fill in the remaining frequencies.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

94. In any sample space P(A | B) and P(B | A):

A. are always equal to one another.

 

B. are never equal to one another.

 

C. are reciprocals of one another.

 

D. are equal only if P(A) = P(B).

Use the definition of conditional probability.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

95. If P(AB) = 0.50, can P(A) = 0.20?

A. Only if P(A | B) = 0.10

 

B. Not unless P(B) = 0.30

 

C. Only if P(BA) = 0.60

 

D. If P(A) = 0.20, then P(AB) cannot equal 0.50.

The given information contains a contradiction, because P(AB) cannot exceed P(A).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

96. The following relationship always holds true for events A and B in a sample space.

A. P(A | B) = P(B | A)

 

B. P(AB) = P(A | B) P(B)

 

C. P(A | B) = P(B | A) P(A)

Use the definition of conditional probability: P(A | B) = P(AB)/P(B).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Understand
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

97. The following probabilities are given about events A and B in a sample space: P(A) = 0.30, P(B) = 0.40, P(A or B) = 0.60. We can say that:

A. P(AB) = 0.70.

 

B. P(A) = P(AB).

 

C. P(AB) = 0.10.

 

D. A and B are independent events.

Apply the General Rule of Addition: P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A∩B).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

98. If P(A) = 0.35, P(B) = 0.60, and P(A or B) = 0.70, then:

A. A and B are mutually exclusive.

 

B. P(AB) = .15.

 

C. P(AB) = .25.

 

D. P(AB) = .35.

Apply the General Rule of Addition: P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A∩B).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

99. The following table shows the survival experience of 1,000 males who retire at age 65:

Based on these data, the probability that a 75-year-old male will survive to age 80 is:

A. 0.596

 

B. 1 – 0.596 = 0.404

 

C. 1 – 0.775 = 0.225

 

D. 0.769

Given that 775 have survived to 75, the probability is 596 divided by 775.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

100. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(G | M).

A. .1800

 

B. .0450

 

C. .3333

 

D. .1350

This is a conditional probability: P(G | M) = 18/54.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

101. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(V or S).

A. .3825

 

B. .4300

 

C. .0475

 

D. .4775

Use the General Rule of Addition: P(V or S) = 72/400 + 100/400 – 19/400.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

102. Given the contingency table shown here, find P(V | S).

A. .2639

 

B. .1900

 

C. .0475

 

D. .4144

This is a conditional probability: P(V | S) = 19/100.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-06 Apply the concepts of probability to contingency tables.
Topic: Contingency Tables
 

 

103. The manager of Ardmore Pharmacy knows that 25 percent of the customers entering the store buy prescription drugs, 65 percent buy over-the-counter drugs, and 18 percent buy both types of drugs. What is the probability that a randomly selected customer will buy at least one of these two types of drugs?

A. .90

 

B. .85

 

C. .72

 

D. .65

Use the General Rule of Addition: P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A∩B) = .25 + .65 – .18.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

104. Two events are complementary (i.e., they are complements) if:

A. the sum of their probabilities equals one.

 

B. they are disjoint and their probabilities sum to one.

 

C. the joint probability of the two events equals one.

 

D. they are independent events with equal probabilities.

Review rules of probability.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

105. Which statement is false?

A. If P(A) = .05, then the odds against event A‘s occurrence are 19 to 1.

 

B. If A and B are mutually exclusive events, then P(A or B) = 0.

 

C. The number of permutations of five things taken two at a time is 20.

Review rules of probability and counting rules.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

106. The number of unique orders in which five items (A, B, C, D, E) can be arranged is:

A. 5.

 

B. 840.

 

C. 120.

 

D. 24.

Apply rules of counting: 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 120.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-09 Apply counting rules to calculate possible event arrangements.
Topic: Counting Rules
 

 

107. If four items are chosen at random without replacement from seven items, in how many ways can the four items be arranged, treating each arrangement as a different event (i.e., if order is important)?

A. 35

 

B. 840

 

C. 5040

 

D. 24

This is 7P4.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-09 Apply counting rules to calculate possible event arrangements.
Topic: Counting Rules
 

 

108. How many ways can we choose three items at random without replacement from five items (A, B, C, D, E) if the order of the selected items is not important?

A. 60

 

B. 120

 

C. 10

 

D. 24

This is 5C3.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-09 Apply counting rules to calculate possible event arrangements.
Topic: Counting Rules
 

 

109. The value of 6C2 is:

A. 15.

 

B. 30.

 

C. 720.

 

D. 12.

Apply the formula for combinations.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-09 Apply counting rules to calculate possible event arrangements.
Topic: Counting Rules
 

 

110. The value of 4P2 is:

A. 8.

 

B. 6.

 

C. 24.

 

D. 12.

Apply the formula for permutations.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-09 Apply counting rules to calculate possible event arrangements.
Topic: Counting Rules
 

 

111. The probability that event A occurs, given that event B has occurred, is an example of:

A. a marginal probability.

 

B. a conditional probability.

 

C. a joint probability.

 

D. more than one of the above.

Review definition of conditional probability.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 1 Easy
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

112. If each of two independent file servers has a reliability of 93 percent and either alone can run the website, then the overall website availability is:

A. .9951.

 

B. .8649.

 

C. .9300.

 

D. .9522.

Follow the textbook example of reliability for independent events.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

113. In a certain city, 5 percent of all drivers have expired licenses, 10 percent have an unpaid parking ticket, and 1 percent have both an expired license and an unpaid parking ticket. Are these events independent?

A. No

 

B. Yes

 

C. Can’t tell from given information

For independence we would require P(A)P(B) = P(AB).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

114. In a certain city, 5 percent of all drivers have expired licenses and 10 percent have an unpaid parking ticket. If these events are independent, what is the probability that a driver has both an expired license and an unpaid parking ticket?

A. .010

 

B. .005

 

C. .001

 

D. Cannot be determined

By independence P(AB) = P(A)P(B) = (.05)(.10).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

115. If two events are collectively exhaustive, what is the probability that one or the other will occur?

A. 1.00

 

B. 0.00

 

C. 0.50

 

D. Can’t tell from given information

Review definition of probabilities (collectively exhaustive covers all the possibilities).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-03 Apply the definitions and rules of probability.
Topic: Rules of Probability
 

 

116. Which best exemplifies a subjective probability?

A. The probability that a female age 30 will have an accident in a week’s car rental at Hertz

 

B. The probability that a pair of dice will come up 7 in a given throw

 

C. The probability that the summer Olympic games will be held in Chicago in 2020

 

D. The probability that a checked bag on Flight 1872 will weigh more than 40 pounds

Subjective probabilities are not based on empirical frequencies.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Analyze
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-02 Distinguish among the three views of probability.
Topic: Probability
 

 

117. Which best exemplifies the classical definition of probability?

A. The probability that a male age 50 will have an accident in a week’s car rental at Alamo

 

B. The probability that a pair of dice will come up 7 when they are rolled

 

C. The probability that the winter Olympic games will be held in Europe in 2022

 

D. The probability that a checked bag on Flight 1872 will weigh more than 30 pounds

Classical probability is determined a priori by the nature of the experiment.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Analyze
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-02 Distinguish among the three views of probability.
Topic: Probability
 

 

118. Which best exemplifies the empirical definition of probability?

A. The probability that a Chinese athlete will win the diving competition in the next Olympics

 

B. The probability that a fair coin will come up heads when it is flipped

 

C. The probability that your own bank will become insolvent within 12 months

 

D. The probability that a checked bag on Flight 1872 will weigh less than 30 pounds

Empirical probabilities are based on observed frequencies.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Analyze
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-02 Distinguish among the three views of probability.
Topic: Probability
 

 

119. From the following tree, find the probability that a randomly chosen person will get the flu vaccine and will also get the flu.

A. .10

 

B. .07

 

C. .19

 

D. .70

Multiply down the branch: .70 × .10 = .07.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-07 Interpret a tree diagram.
Topic: Tree Diagrams
 

 

120. From the following tree, find the probability that a randomly chosen person will not get a vaccination and will not get the flu.

A. .18

 

B. .60

 

C. .19

 

D. .70

Multiply down the branch: .30 × .60 = .18.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-07 Interpret a tree diagram.
Topic: Tree Diagrams
 

 

121. From the following tree, find the probability that a randomly chosen person will get the flu.

A. .19

 

B. .07

 

C. .81

 

D. .70

Multiply down two branches and add .07 to .12. That is (.70)(.10) + (.30)(.40).

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-07 Interpret a tree diagram.
Topic: Tree Diagrams
 

 

122. At Joe’s Restaurant, 80 percent of the diners are new customers (N), while 20 percent are returning customers (R). Fifty percent of the new customers pay by credit card, compared with 70 percent of the regular customers. If a customer pays by credit card, what is the probability that the customer is a new customer?

A. .7407

 

B. .8000

 

C. .5400

 

D. .5000

Review Bayes’ Theorem, and perhaps make a table or tree.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-08 Use Bayes’ Theorem to calculate revised probabilities.
Topic: Bayes’ Theorem
 

 

123. At Dolon General Hospital, 30 percent of the patients have Medicare insurance (M) while 70 percent do not have Medicare insurance (M´). Twenty percent of the Medicare patients arrive by ambulance, compared with 10 percent of the non-Medicare patients. If a patient arrives by ambulance, what is the probability that the patient has Medicare insurance?

A. .7000

 

B. .5000

 

C. .4615

 

D. .1300

Review Bayes’ Theorem, and perhaps make a table or tree.

 

AACSB: Analytical Thinking
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
Blooms: Remember
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-08 Use Bayes’ Theorem to calculate revised probabilities.
Topic: Bayes’ Theorem
 

 

Short Answer Questions

124. Axolotl, Inc. decided to double the number of independent network file servers, each server being capable of running its entire internal corporate network. Bob suggested that “doubling the number of file servers in our corporate network will just double the chances of failure.” Is Bob right? Has the company made an error?

No, as long as the file servers are independent, doubling the number of file servers will reduce the chance of failure. For example, if they had two file servers each with .95 reliability (i.e., a .05 chance of being “down”), then their chance of total failure would be P(F1F2) = P(F1)P(F2) = (.05)(.05) = .0025.

Feedback: No, as long as the file servers are independent, doubling the number of file servers will reduce the chance of failure. For example, if they had two file servers each with .95 reliability (i.e., a .05 chance of being “down”), then their chance of total failure would be P(F1F2) = P(F1)P(F2) = (.05)(.05) = .0025. But if they go to four independent file servers, the chance of being “down” is P(F1F2F3F4) = P(F1)P(F2)P(F3)P(F4) = (.05)(.05)(.05)(.05) = .00000625.

 

AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

125. A baseball player said, “Yes, I’m in a batting slump. But the law of averages has got to catch up sooner or later. I’m bound to improve.” Discuss the logic of this statement.

If the player’s probability of getting a hit each time at the plate is constant, then the player’s chances of getting a hit do not change.

Feedback: If the player’s probability of getting a hit each time at the plate is constant (i.e., if his at bats are independent events), then the player’s chances of getting a hit do not change, just as one coin flip cannot affect the next flip. But ballplayers are not coins. If the player’s mental outlook deteriorates because of his slump, he may continue hitting poorly (i.e., his not getting a hit today may lower the probability of getting a hit the next time). Conversely, if the player believes that his “luck” is due to change, he may become more effective (i.e., a mental turnaround could increase his chances of getting a hit). Unlike a coin experiment, a ballplayer’s at bats may not be independent events, because human psychology is involved.

 

AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 2 Medium
Learning Objective: 05-02 Distinguish among the three views of probability.
Topic: Probability
 

 

126. Recently, a few companies have been accused of issuing stock options to their top executives at the lowest stock price of the year. Executives can later sell these stock shares at a higher price and make a large profit. In some companies, this happened several years in a row. An executive argued, “It’s just a coincidence. There are about 250 trading days in a year, so there is a reasonable chance that my option price just happened to be lowest of the year.” Discuss.

It’s possible, but not very likely. For example, the probability that options would be issued at the yearly low two years in a row would be (1/250)(1/250) = .000016.

Feedback: It’s possible, but not very likely. For example, the probability that options would be issued at the yearly low two years in a row would be (1/250)(1/250) = .000016. For three years, it would be (1/250)3 = .000000064. In this case, the probabilities are a strong indication of the need for a deeper investigation.

 

AACSB: Reflective Thinking
Blooms: Apply
Difficulty: 3 Hard
Learning Objective: 05-05 Determine when events are independent.
Topic: Independent Events
 

 

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