AMA1110 2019/20 Semester 1 Exercise 5

AMA1110 Basic Mathematics I -

Calculus and Probability & Statistics
Exercise 5

A Revision
Keywords: Sample space. Experiment. Probability. Permutation. Combination. Venn
Diagram. Union. Intersection. Collectively exhaustive. Addition Rule. Mutually exclu-
sive. Complement. Marginal probability. Conditional probability. Independent. Multi-
plicative Rule. Law of total probability. Bayes’ Theorem

Definition A.1 The sample space is defined as the set of all possible experimental
outcomes. Any one particular experimental outcome is referred to as a sample point and
is an element of the sample space.

Definition A.2 A permutation of a set of objects in any arrangement of these objects

in a definite order.

Definition A.3 (Factorial) The symbol n! represents the product of all integers from
n to 1. In other words,
n! = n(n − 1)(n − 2)(n − 3) · . . . · 3 · 2 · 1
and by definition, 0! = 1.

1. The number of permutations (arrangements) of n different elements is n!. For

instance, if S = {a, b, c} , then number of permutations is equal to 3! = 3×2×1 = 6.
2. The number of permutations of n distinct objects taken r at a time where 1 ≤ r ≤ n
is
n n!
n Pr = P r = = n(n − 1)(n − 2)(n − 3) · . . . · (n − r + 1) (A.1)
(n − r)!
Definition A.4 A combination of a set of objects is a group or subset of the objects
disregarding their order.

That is, sampling is equivalent to partitioning a set of n elements into 2 groups: elements
that appear in the sample and those that do not. Let r be the number of elements in the
sample, and n − r be the number of elements remaining. Then the number of different
samples of r elements that can be selected from n is
 
n n n!
n Cr = Cr = = . (A.2)
r r!(n − r)!
Theorem A.5 Consider two events A and B, the probability of the union of A and B is
P (A ∪ B) = P (A) + P (B) − P (A ∩ B) (A.3)

Theorem A.6 If the events A and B are mutually exclusive, i.e. P (A ∩ B) = 0, the
probability of the union of A and B is
P (A ∪ B) = P (A) + P (B) (A.4)

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AMA1110 2019/20 Semester 1 Exercise 5

Definition A.7 The complement of A, denoted by Ā or Ac or A0 is defined to be the

event consisting of all sample points that are not in A. We have P (A) = 1 − P (Ā).

Theorem A.8 If A and B are two events with P (A) 6= 0 and P (B) 6= 0, then
P (A ∩ B) P (A ∩ B)
P (A|B) = and P (B|A) = (A.5)
P (B) P (A)
Definition A.9 Two events A and B are said to be independent if the occurrence of
one does not affect the probability of the occurrence of the other. In other words, A and
B are independent events if

P (A|B) = P (A) and P (B|A) = P (B) (A.6)

Theorem A.10 If two events A and B are independent, then

P (A ∩ B) = P (A)P (B) (A.7)

Theorem A.11 (Law of total probability) Assume that B1 , B2 , · · · , Bn are collec-

tively exhaustive events where P (Bi ) > 0, for i = 1, 2, · · · , k and Bi and Bj are mutually
exclusive events for i 6= j. Then for any event A

P (A) = P (B1 )P (A|B1 ) + P (B2 )P (A|B2 ) + · · · + P (Bn )P (A|Bn ) (A.8)

Theorem A.12 (Bayes’ Theorem) Suppose that B1 , B2 , · · · , Bn are n mutually ex-

clusive and exhaustive events, then
P (Bk )P (A|Bk )
P (Bk |A) = (A.9)
P (B1 )P (A|B1 ) + P (B2 )P (A|B2 ) + · · · + P (Bn )P (A|Bn )

B Exercise
1. List the elements of each of the following sample spaces:

(a) the set of integers between 1 and 50 divisible by 8;

(b) the set S = {x|x2 + 4x − 5 = 0};
(c) the set of outcomes when a coin is tossed until a tail or three heads appear;
(d) the set S = {x|2x − 4 ≥ 0 and x < 1}.

2. Which of the following events are equal?

(a) A = {1, 3};

(b) B = {x|x is a number on a die};
(c) C = {x|x2 − 4x + 3 = 0};
(d) D = {x|x is a the number of heads when six coins are tossed}.

3. Let A and B be two events. If A and B are independent, P (A) = 0.6 and P (A ∪ B) = 0.7,
what is P (B)?

4. Let A and B be two events. Denote Ac the complement of A. If P (A ∩ B) = 0.1 and

P ((Ac ) ∩ B) = 0.6, what is P (A|B)?

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5 1
5. Let A and B be two events. Suppose P (A ∪ B) = , P (A) = a, P (B) = 4 and
12
P (A|B) = k, where B is the complement of B.

(a) Find P (A ∩ B) in terms of a.

(b) Find the value of k.
(c) If A and B are independent, find the value of a.

6. Consider two events A and B such that P (A) = 0.4 and P (B) = 0.7. Determine the
maximum and minimum possible values of P (A ∩ B) and the conditions under which
each of the value is attained.

7. A box contains 100 balls, of which r are red. Suppose that the balls are drawn from the
box one at a time, at random, without replacement. Determine

(a) the probability that the first ball drawn will be red;
(b) the probability that the fiftieth ball drawn will be red;
(c) the probability that the last ball drawn will be red.

8. Suppose that a fair coin is to be tossed ten times, and it is desired to determine

(a) the probability of obtaining exactly three heads;

(b) the probability of obtaining exactly three or fewer heads.

9. If a multiple-choice test consists of 5 questions each with 4 possible answers of which only
one is correct,

(a) How many different ways can a student check off one answer to each question?
(b) How many ways can a student check off one answer to each question and get all the
questions wrong?

10. 6 people are waiting for a bus.

(a) How many ways can 6 people be lined up to get on a bus?

(b) If a certain 3 persons insist on following each other, how many ways are possible?
(c) If a certain 2 persons insist on following each other, how many ways are possible?

11. From 5 statisticians and 6 economists a committee consisting of 3 statisticians and 2

economists is to be formed. How many different committees can be formed if

(a) no restriction is imposed;

(b) two particular statisticians must be on the committee;
(c) one particular economist cannot be on the committee?

12. From 4 red, 5 green and 6 yellow apples, how many selections of 9 apples are possible if
3 of each color are to be selected?

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13. If a permutation of the word “white” is selected at random, find the probability that the
permutation

(a) begins with a consonant;

(b) ends with a vowel;
(c) has the consonant and vowels alternating.

14. If 7 cards are dealt from an ordinary deck of 52 playing cards, what is the probability
that

(a) exactly 2 of them will be face cards?

(b) at least 1 of them will be queen?

15. Assume that the probability of a male birth is 12 . Find the probability that in a family
of 4 children will be

(a) at least 1 boy,

(b) at least 1 boy and 1 girl.

16. There are 10 articles, 2 of which are alike and the rest all different. In how many ways
can a selection of 5 articles be made?

17. A signaller has six flags, of which one is blue, two are white and three are red. He sends
messages by hoisting flags on a flagpole, the message being conveyed by the order in which
the colors are arranged. Find how many different messages he can send by using exactly
six flags.

18. A certain family consists of Mother, Father and their ten sons. They are invited to send
a group of four representatives to a wedding. Evaluate the number of ways in which the
group can be formed, if it must contain

(a) both parents, (c) neither parent.

(b) one and only one parent,

19. In how many ways can the letters of the word FACETIOUS be arranged in a line?
What is the probability that an arrangement begins with F and ends with S?

20. On a shelf there are 4 Mathematics books and 8 English books. If the books are to be
arranged so that the Mathematics books are put together, in how many ways can this be
done? What is the probability that all the Mathematics books will not be put together?

21. If the letters of the word PROBABILITY are arranged at random, find the probability
that the two I’s are separated.

22. In how many different ways can the letters of the word ARRANGEMENTS be ar-
ranged? Find the probability that an arrangement chosen at random begins with the
letters EE.

23. Four items are taken at random from a box of 12 items and inspected. The box is rejected
if more than 1 item is found to be faulty. If there are 3 faulty items in the box, find the
probability that the box is accepted.

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24. A team of 4 is chosen at random from 5 girls and 6 boys. In how many ways can the
team be chosen if

(a) there are no restrictions? (b) there must be more boys than girls?

Find the probability that the team contains only one boy.

25. Five cards are numbered 1 to 5 respectively. Two cards are to be drawn at random
without replacement. Find the probability that

(a) the sum of the numbers drawn will be less than 6,

(b) the larger of the numbers drawn will be 3,
(c) neither of the cards numbered 1 and 5 will be drawn.

26. Tom has four different balls and he wants to place them into two different boxes, so that
each box will contain two balls. How many possible ways?

27. Suppose John has 1000 books labeled from 000 to 999. If John randomly pick out one,
what is the probability that

(a) the index of the book picked contains at least one “8”?
(b) the index of the book picked contains exactly one “8”?
(c) the index of the book picked contains exactly two “8”’s?

28. A box contains 20 balls of which 10 are red and the others are black.

(a) If we randomly select two of them, find the probability that the selected two have
the same color.
(b) If we randomly select two balls with replacement, find the probability that the
selected two balls have the same color.
(c) We select three without replacement. Find the probability that the selected balls
have the same color.

29. Among the 30 buses one city purchased last year from a big brand, 8 have now problems
on the handbrake.

(a) How many ways to select 5 buses as a sample from the whole batch of 30?
(b) In how many ways the sample of 5 buses contain exactly 3 buses with handbrake
problem?
(c) In how many ways the sample of 5 buses contain at least 4 buses with handbrake
problem?
(d) If the sample is chosen randomly, what is the probability that the sample contains
at least one bus that has handbrake problem?

30. In a bag A there contains 5 numbered cards, each marked 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. In a bag B
there contains 3 numbered cards, each marked 2, 4 and 6. A card is taken out from each
at random to form a two-digit number with the first digit chosen from box A. Find the
probability that

(a) the two digit number so formed is a multiple of 9,

(b) the two digit number is greater that 80.

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31. Two pair six sided dice are rolled. The first die is an ‘ordinary’ one, and the second has
sides marked 1, 2, 2, 4, 4 and 5. Find the probability that

(a) no 4 occurs, (b) at least one 2 occurs.

32. A box contains 1 black, 3 white and 5 red balls. If two balls are drawn successively from
the box, with replacement, find the probability that

(a) both balls are of the same colour, (b) one ball is white and the other is red.

If three balls are drawn from the box simultaneously, find the probability that all balls
are of different colours.
33. In a school 100 m race, three girls A, B and C participate. If A is three times as likely to
win as B and B is twice as likely to win as C, find the probability that C does not win.
34. In an examination the respective probabilities of three candidates solving a problem are 54 ,
3 2
4 , and 3 . Calculate the probability that the examiner will receive from these candidates

(a) exactly one correct solution, (c) at least one correct solution.
(b) not more than one correct solution,

35. The probabilities that A, B and C can shoot a certain target are 32 , 35 , and 7
8 respectively.
If they fire at the same time, find the probability that

(a) only A hits the target, (c) at least one of them hits the target.
(b) none of them hits the target,

36. A die is loaded so that the probability of getting a 6 is 52 and the probability of getting
a 5 is 15 . The probabilities of getting the other numbers are equally likely. If the die is
rolled twice, find the probability of getting

(a) two 6’s, (b) no 6’s, (c) a sum of 8.

37. It is estimated the probabilities of project A and project B will be completed on time are
0.9 and 0.75 respectively. Find the probability that

(a) neither project will be completed on time,

(b) only one of the projects will be completed on time,
(c) both projects will be completed on time.

38. In an experiment 5 boys and 6 girls were put together in a room. Among them, Jack and
Helen were old schoolmates. If a boy and a girl were chosen at random from the room,
find the probability that

(a) both Jack and Helen were being chosen,

(b) only one of them was being chosen,
(c) neither of them was being chosen.

39. A bag contains 8 black balls and 1 white ball. A second bag contains 7 black balls.
Four balls are taken at random from the first bag and placed in the second. Find the
probability that the white ball is now

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AMA1110 2019/20 Semester 1 Exercise 5

(a) in the first bag, (b) in the second bag.

Given that the white ball is in the second bag after the first drawn. Four balls are now
taken from the second bag and returned to the first bag. Calculate the probability that
the white ball is now back in the first bag.

40. In a multiple choice quiz of 6 questions, each question has five choices. If a student guesses
the answer of each question, find the probability that

(a) he answers the first 4 questions correctly,

(b) he answers the first question correctly and the next 5 questions incorrectly,
(c) he answers at least one question correctly out of 6 questions.

41. A badminton club has 10 members; 6 ladies and 4 men. Each time the club meets they
decide on the order of play by drawing names out of a hat. On one particular evening,
what is the probability that the first singles game will be between

(a) TWO ladies? (b) TWO men? (c) a lady and a man?

If the first game is between TWO men and their names are not returned to the hat, what
is the probability that the second singles game will be between TWO men?

42. A player throws a die and obtains the score shown on the uppermost face. If a six is
obtained, the player throws again and adds to his score the number on the second throw.
If the second throw is also a six, he is allowed one further throw and he adds that to his
score. Find the probabilities of the score is

(a) less than 6, (c) greater than 6 but less than 12,
(b) equal to 6, (d) greater than 12.

43. A fair die with faces marked 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, is rolled twice. Find the probability of getting

(a) two odd numbers, (c) the same number,

(b) a sum of 4, (d) different numbers.

44. A team believes that they are more likely to win, with probability 32 , if its rains, and
that if it is dry, then the probability they will win is 14 . The probability that it will rain
is 51 .

(a) Calculate the probability that they will not win.

(b) Given that they won, calculate the probability that it rained.

45. The birthdays of Jack and Jill are in the first seven days in January. Find the probability
that next year

(a) both have their birthdays on Monday,

(b) Jack and Jill have their birthdays on the same day,
(c) they have their birthdays on different days,
(d) Monday is the birthday of one or both.

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46. For simplicity treat one year as 52 weeks. Suppose a people’s birthday is randomly
distributed in these 52 weeks with equal probability. Find the probability that in a class
of 10 students, at least two of them have their birthday in the same week.

47. Given that in any families the probabilities of any child being a boy or a girl are equal,
find the probability that

(a) a family of 2 children will consist of one boy and one girl (in any order),
(b) a family of 3 children will consist of 2 boys and 1 girl in any order,
(c) a family of 3 children will contain at least one girl.

Two neighbouring families contain 3 children and 2 children respectively. Find the prob-
ability that there will be exactly 3 boys in the two families.

48. In a school there are 30 male teachers and 40 female teachers. In the Mathematics
department of the school there are 5 male and 2 female teachers. A staff committee of
6 teachers is formed. Find the probabilities that, if the teachers are selected at random,
the committee is made up of

(a) all male teachers, (c) at least 1 male and at least 1 female
(b) at least 2 Mathematics teachers, teacher.

49. Out of 80 applicants for a job, 16 had some work experience but no certificate, 8 had a
certificate but no work experience and 14 had both work experience and a certificate.

(a) Find the number of applicant who had no work experience and no certificate.
(b) What is the probability that an applicant with work experience has a certificate?

50. A and B throw two dice alternately. If A gets a sum of 10 before B gets a sum of 11,
then A wins. But if B gets a sum of 11 before A gets a sum of 10, then B wins. Find the
probability that

(a) A wins, if B throws first, (b) B wins, if A throws first.

51. Suppose an instrument is very sensitive in the sense that when the patient has a certain
kind of cancer it has probability 99.9% to give positive report, and when the patient does
not have that cancer, it has only 0.1% probability to give positive report. Suppose the
cancer happens in population with probability 1/1000. If one people get a positive report,
find the probability that he or she really has that kind of cancer.

Answer:

1
1a. {8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48} 3. 4

1b. S = {−5, 1} 1
4. 7
1c. S = {T, HT, HHT, HHH}
1
1d. S = ∅ 5a. a −
6
2. A = C , since B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}, C = {1, 3} 2
and D = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}. 5b. k =
9

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AMA1110 2019/20 Semester 1 Exercise 5

2
5c. a = 26. 6
9

6. If P (A ∪ B) = 1, P (A ∩ B) will attain the mini- 27. (a) 0.271 (b) 0.243 (c) 0.027
mum 0.1.
If P (A ∪ B) = 0.7, P (A ∩ B) will attain the maxi- 28. (a) 0.4737 (b) 0.5 (c) 0.2105
mum 0.4.
29. (a) 142, 506 (b) 12, 936 (c) 1, 596 (d) 0.8152
r
7a.
100 30. (a) 51 (b) 15
r
7b. 31. (a) 59 (b) 49
100
r 32. (a) 35
(b) 10 5
7c. 81 27 , 28
100
8
8a. 0.1172 33. 9

3 1 59
8b. 0.1719 34. (a) 20 (b) 6 (c) 60

1 1 59
9. (a) 1024 (b) 243 35. (a) 30 (b) 60 (c) 60

4 9 13
10. (a) 720 (b) 144 (c) 240 36. (a) 25 (b) 25 (c) 100

11. (a) 150 (b) 45 (c) 100 37. (a) 0.025 (b) 0.3 (c) 0.675

1 3 2
12. 800 38. (a) 30 (b) 10 (c) 3

5
13. (a) 3
(b) 2
(c) 1 39. (a) 9 (b) 49 , 4
11
5 5 10

1 1024 11529
14. (a) 0.3246 (b) 0.4496 40. (a) 625 (b) 15625 (c) 15625

1 2 8 1
15. (a) 15
(b) 7 41. (a) 3 (b) 15 (c) 15 , 28
16 8

5 5 1
16. 182 42. (a) 6 (b) 0 (c) 36 (d) 36

1 13 7 11
17. 60 43. (a) 4 (b) 36 (c) 18 (d) 18

2 2
18. (a) 45 (b) 240 (c) 210 44. (a) 3 (b) 5

1 1 1 6 13
19. 9!, 72
45. (a) 49 (b) 7 (c) 7 (d) 49

54
20. 4! × 9!, 55
46. 0.6029

1 3
21. 9
11
47. (a) 2 (b) 8 (c) 78 , 5
16

12! 1 48. (a) 0.00453 (b) 0.107 (c) 0.966

22. 24 , 66

42 7
23. 55
49. (a) 42 (b) 15

2 17 11
24. (a) 330 (b) 115, 11
50. (a) 29 (b) 29

2 1 3
25. (a) 5 (b) 5 (c) 10 51. 0.5

- I am interested in mathematics only as a creative art. Godfrey Harold Hardy (1877-1947). -

- Finis -