Module 3: The Theory of Probability

Part A (Each question carries 2 marks)

1. Define random experiment with an example.

2. What is sample space? Write the sample space when two coins are tossed.
3. Explain discrete and continuous sample space .
4. Explain the terms sample point and event with example.
5. What are mutually exclusive and exhaustive events?
6. Explain independent and dependent events.
7. Define equally likely events with example.
8. Distinguish between simple and compound event.
9. Distinguish between sure event and impossible event.
10. Three fair coins are tossed at a time. Enumerate the elements of the sample space.
11. Write down the sample space of throwing two coins and a dice.
12. A box contains two white and three black balls. Two balls are drawn 1) without
replacement 2) with replacement. Write down the sample space in each case.
13. What is classical definition of probability?
14. What are the properties of probability?
15. What do you mean by statistical regularity?
16. What is frequency ratio?
17. What is relative frequency definition of probability?
18. Define axiomatic approach to probability.
19. What are the three axioms of probability?
20. State addition theorem on probability for 1) two events 2) three events.
21. State addition theorem for two events and state its conditions.
22. State multiplication theorem for two events with conditions.
23. When two events are said to be independent.
24. State multiplication theorem on probability for 1) two events 2) three events.
25. Define conditional probability.
26. State Baye’s theorem.
27. Find the probability of drawing 1) an ace 2) a card of clubs from a well shuffled deck
of cards.
28. From a pack of 52 cards one card is drawn at random. Find the probability that it is
either a spade or an ace of club.
29. An integer is chosen at random from the first 100 integers. Find the probability that
the integer chosen is divisible by 3 or 5.
30. What is the chance that a leap year would contain 53 Sundays?
31. What is the chance that a non-leap year would contain 53 Sundays?
32. If odds in favour of A solving a problem are 2to 3 and odds against B solving the same
problem are 3 to 5. Find the probability for (1) A solving the problem (2) B solving the
problem.
33. Two unbiased dice are thrown. Find the probability that the sum of the faces is (1)
not less than 10 (2) equal to 10.
34. What is the probability of getting 3 white balls in a draw of 3 balls from a box
containing 5 white and 4 black balls?
35. Three cards are drawn from a pack of 52 cards. What is the probability that exactly
two are aces?
36. Find the probability of getting a total of 7 or 11 in a single throw with two dice.
37. If P (A) = 1/13, P (B) = ¼ and P (A ∪ B) = 4/13. Find P (A ∩ B).
38. If P (A) = 4/5, P (B) = 3/5. Find P (A ∩ B) if A and B are independent.
39. If P (A) = 2/5, P (B) = 3/5 and P (A ∩ B) = 1/20. Examine whether A and B are
independent.
40. If P (A) = 0.2, P (B) = 0.3 and A and B are independent find P (A/B) and P(B/A).
41. If P (A) = 0.3, P (B) = 0.6 and A and B are independent. Find P (A’ ∩ B’).
42. Probability that a patient is correctly diagnosed is 0.4. if a patient is correctly
diagnosed will survive is 0.8. What is the probability that a patient is correctly
diagnosed and survived?
43. A bag contains 80 good and 20 bad oranges. Two oranges are chosen at random
without replacement. What is the probability that both are defective?
44. The probability that a boy will get scholarship is 0.9 and a girl will get is 0.8. What is
the probability that at least one of them will get the scholarship?

Part B (Each question carries 5 marks)

45. Define (1) Random experiment (2) Sample point (3) Sample space (4) Event
46. Explain with suitable example (1) mutually exclusive (2) independent (3) exhaustive
and (4) equally likely events.
47. Explain (1) sure event (2) impossible event and (3) uncertain events with one
example each
48. What is sample space? Write down the sample space when a coin is tossed until
head appears.
49. Explain (1) statistical regularity (2) frequency approach to probability and state two
limitations of this approach.
50. State and prove addition theorem for two events.
51. State addition theorem for two events and deduce it for three events.
52. State and prove multiplication for two events and deduce it for three events.
53. Define axiomatic approach to probability and state two of its limitations.
54. Explain the meaning of pair wise and mutual independence of three events.
55. If A and B are independent then show that (1) A and B’ are independent (2) A’ and B
are independent (3) A’ and B’ are independent.
56. Explain classical definition of probability and state their defects.
57. State Baye’s theorem and state its importance.
58. State (i) Total probability law (ii) Baye’s theorem.
59. If P(A) = 0.3 P(B) =0.2, P(A ∩ B) = 0.1 find the probabilities of 1. At least one of the
events occurs. 2. Exactly one of the events occurs. 3. None of the events occur.
60. (a)State addition theory of probability for three events. b) Suppose A, B, C are events
such that P(A) = P(B) = P(C) =1/4 and P(A ∩ B) = P(C ∩ B) =0 and P(A ∩ C) =1/8.
Evaluate P (A ∪ B ∪ C).
61. Given P A) = P (B) = P(C) = 0.4, P (AB) = P (AC) = P(BC) = 0.2 and P (ABC) = 0.1. (1) At
least one of them. (2) Exactly one of them (3) Exactly two of them.
62. Probabilities that a husband and wife will be alive 20 years from now is given by 0.8
and 0.9 respectively. Find the probability that in 20 years (1) both will alive (2)
neither will alive and (3) at least one will alive.
63. A box contains 3 red and 7 white balls. One ball is drawn at random and in its place a
ball of other colour is put it in the box. Now one ball is drawn at random from the
box. Find the probability that it is red.
64. An urn ‘A’ contains 2 white and 4 black balls. Another urn ‘B’ contains 5 white and 4
black balls. A ball is transferred from the urn ‘A’ to urn ‘B’. Then a ball is drawn from
urn B. Find the probability that it will be white.
65. Urn A contains 4 white and 3 red ball and urn B contains 2 white 5 red balls. One of
the urn is to be chosen at random and a ball is to be selected from the chosen urn.
What is the probability of selecting a white ball.
66. Three persons A, B, and C are simultaneously shooting target. Probability of A hitting
a target is ¼ that of B is ½ and that of C is 2/3. Find the probability of (1) exactly one
of them will hit the target (2) at least one of them will hit the target.
67. One bag contains 4 white and 2 black balls. Another contains 3 white and 5 black
balls. If one of the ball is drawn from each bag. Find the probability that (1) both are
white (2) both are black (3) one is white and the other is black.
68. The odds in favour of three political candidates A,B, C in an election are respectively
3 to 5, 2 to 7 and 5 to 9. Find the probability that (1) all win (2) none wins (3) at least
two of them win in the election. (Assume they contest in different states)
69. A bag contains 5 white and 3 black balls. Another bag contains 4 white and 7 black
balls. A ball is randomly drawn from one of the bags and found to be black. What is
the probability that it is come from the first bag.
70. Three men working independently attempt to decode a secret message. If their
individual probabilities of success are 0.2, 0.4 and 0.5. What is the probability that
the message is decoded?
71. A bag contains 6 white and 4 black balls. Two draw of 2 balls are successively made.
Find the probability of getting 2 white balls in the first draw and 2 black balls in the
second draw where balls drawn at first draw were replaced.
72. A subcommittee of 6 members is to be formed out of a group of 7 men and 4 ladies.
Calculate the probability that the sub-committee will consists of (1) two ladies and
(2) at least two ladies.
73. Let X and Y be the two possible events of an experiment where, P(X) = 0.5, P(X ∪ Y) =
0.9 and P(Y) = p (a) For what values of p are X and Y mutually exclusive (b) For what
value of p X and Y are independent.
74. Distinguish between mutually exclusive and independent events. (ii) A speaks truth in
60% cases and B in 70% cases. In what percentage of cases are they likely to
contradict each other in stating the same fact?
75. A problem in statistics is given to students A, B, C whose chances of solving are 1/2 ,
1/3, and ¼ respectively. What is the probability that the problem (i) will be solved (ii)
will not be solved.
76. A machine part is produced by three factories X, Y, and Z. Their proportional
production is 25, 35 and 40 percent respectively. Also, the percentage defectives
manufactured by three factories are respectively 5, 4 and 3. A part is taken at
random and is found to be defective. Find the probability that the selected part
found to be defective belongs to factory Y.
77. The following are the contents of two bags; 2 white and 3 black balls; 3 white and 3
black balls. One bag was chosen at random and one ball was selected at random
from it and it was found to be white ball. What is the probability that the ball so
drawn come from the first bag?
78. From a group of 8 children 5 boys and 3 girls, 3 children are selected at random.
Calculate the probability that the selected group contains (i) no girl (ii) only one girl
(iii) one particular girl (iv) at least one girl.

Part C (Each question carries 15 marks.)

79. State Baye’s theorem.

Three identical boxes contain two balls each. One has both red, one has one red and
one black, and the third has two black balls. A person chooses a box at random and
takes out a ball. If the ball is red find the probability that the other ball is also red.
80. What is total probability law? Three contents of two urns I and II are as follows, 1
white, 2 black and 3 red balls; 4 white, 5 black and 3 red balls. One urn is chosen at
random and two balls are drawn. They happened to be white and red. What is the
probability that they come from urn II.
81. Explain (i) addition theorem of probabilities (ii) multiplication theorem of
probabilities (iii) Baye’ formula (iv) conditional probabilities.
82. State Baye’ theorem.
There are three urns having the following composition of black and white balls (i) 7
white and 3 black balls (ii) 4 white and 6 black balls (iii) 2 white and 8 black balls. One
of these urns is chosen at random with probabilities 0.20, 0.60, and 0.20 respectively.
From the chosen urn two balls are drawn at random without replacement. Calculate
the probability that both these balls are white.
83. State Baye’s theorem.
The probability that a doctor will diagnose a particular disease correctly is 0.6. the
probability that a patient will die by his treatment after correct diagnosis is 0.4 and
the probability of death by wrong diagnosis is 0.7. Apatient of the doctor who had
the disease died. What is the probability that his disease was not correctly
diagnosed?
84. State Baye’s theorem.
A factory produces a certain types of outputs by three types of machine. The
respective daily productions are: Machine I: 3000 units, Machine II: 2500 units,
Machine III: 4500 units. Past experience shows that 1% of the output produced by
 Machine I is defective. The corresponding fraction defective for the other two
machines respectively are 1.2% and 2%. An item is drawn at random from the day’s
production run and is found to be defective. What is the probability that it comes
from the output of (a) Machine I (b) Machine II.
85. (a)Explain statistical regularity. How it leads to the frequency approach of probability.
b. A three digit number is formed with the figures 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, duplication of the figures
not being allowed. Find the probability that (1) the numbers even (2) the numbers is
divisible by 5.
86. (a) Explain frequency definition and classical definition of probability. (b) A, B and C in
order toss a coin. The first one to throw a head wins. What are their respective
chances of winning?
87. (a) When are two events said to be independent in the probability sense. b) State
and prove multiplication theorem for three events A, B and C. c) Distinguish between
pair wise independence and mutual independence for three events.
88. ( a) Distinguish between discrete and continuous sample space
b) A die is tossed. If it shows an even number a coin is tossed and if it shows an odd
number, nother die is tossed. Write down the sample space.
(c) Define frequency definition of probability. Write down the advantages and
limitations of frequency definition of probability.
89. ( a) State Baye’s theorem.
b) Two urns A and B contain respectively 2 white and 1 black ball and 1 white and 5 black
ball. One ball in transferred from urn B to urn A and then one ball is drawn from urn A. It
turns out to be black. What is the probability that the transferred ball was black?
90. ( a) Define conditional probability and multiplication for two events.
b) A man can hit a target 3 times in 5 shots: B- 2 times in 5 shots, C- 3 times in 4 shots.
They fire volley. What is the probability that (1) exactly 2 shots hit (2) only one hit (c) all
shots hit (4) none hits.
91. a) Explain conditional probability and independence of events.
b) The chance that a female work in chemical factory will contact an occupational disease is
0.04 and that for a female worker is 0.06. Out of 1000 workers in a factory 200 are females.
One worker is selected at random and is found to be contacted disease. What is the
probability that the worker is a female?
92. ( a) Explain conditional probability and total probability law.
(b) A and B are consisting for the post of a chairman in the company. The probability for their
winning is 0.6 and 0.4 respectively. If A wins, the probability of introducing a new product is
0.8 and if B wins the corresponding probability is 0.3. Find the probability that product will
be introduced.
93. Define the terms with suitable example 1. Sample space 2. Mutually exclusive events 3.
Exhaustive events 4. Statistical regularity 5. Axiomatic approach to probability. 6.
Independent and dependent events