Probability Theory

1. Findtheprobabilityofgettingheadinathrowofacoin.
2. Iftwocoinsaretossedonce,whatistheprobabilityofgetting(i)bothheads (ii)atleastonehead?
3. Acardisdrawnfromapackofcards,findtheprobabilitythatitis(a)ablackcard, (b)aredcard (c) a club card
(d)anace (e)aredcard (f)aceofspade (g)notaspade (h)akingoraqueen?
4. Threeunbiasedcoinsaretossed.Whatistheprobabilityofobtaining(a)allheads (b)twoheads (c) one head
(d)atleastonehead (e)atleasttwoheads (f)alltails?
5. Whatistheprobabilitythataleapyearselectedatrandomwillcontain53Mondays?
6. Whatistheprobabilitythatanonleapyearselectedatrandomwillcontain52Thursday?
7. Ticketsarenumberedfrom1to100.Theyarewellshuffledandaticketisdrawnatrandom.Whatistheprobability

thatthedrawntickethas

(a)anevennumber
(d)anumberwhichisasquare?
(b)annumber5ormultipleof5 (c)anumberwhichisgreaterthan75

8. Abagcontains5greenand7redballs.Twoballsaredrawn.Whatistheprobabilitythatoneisgreenandtheotheris
red?
9. Fromapackofcards,twoaredrawnatrandom.Whatistheprobabilitythatoneisakingandtheotherisqueen?
10. A bag contains 3 red, 4 white and 5 black balls. Three balls are taken from the bag. What is the probability that
(a)allareblack (b)allareofdifferentcolours.
11. Twodicearethrown.Whatistheprobabilitythat (a)firstdieshows4? (b)Thetotalofthenumberonthediceis
9orgreaterthan9 (c)thenumberonthe2nddieislessthanthenumberonthe1stdie?
12. There are 3 economists, 4 engineers, 2 statisticians and 1 doctor. A committee of 4 from among them is to be
formed.Findtheprobabilitythatthecommittee (a)consistoneofeachkind (b)hasatleastoneeconomist
(e)hasadoctorandthreeothers?
13. Aspeakstruthin60%casesandBis70%cases.What%ofcasesaretheylikelytocontradicteachotherinstating
thesamefact?

14. TheoddagainstofstudentXsolvingaproblemis8to6andoddinfavourofstudentYsolvingtheproblemis14to
16.Whatistheprobabilitythat (a) the problem will be solved if they both try independently of each other
(b)neithersolvestheproblem?
15. XandYappearinaninterviewfortwovacanciesinthesamepost.TheprobabilityofXsselectionis1/7andthatofY
is1/5.Whatistheprobabilitythat (a)bothofthemwillbeselected (b) only one of them will be
selected (c)noneofthemwillbeselected.
16. Threegroupsofworkerscontains3menand1woman;2menand2women;1manand3womenrespectively.One
workerisselectedatrandomfromeachgroup,whatistheprobabilitythatthegroupselectedconsistof1manand2
women?

1
 Probability Theory
17. AletteroftheEnglishalphabetischosenatrandom.Calculatetheprobabilitythatthelettersochosen(a)isavowel
(b)precedesmandisavowel (c)followsmandisavowel.
18. A,BandCarethreemutuallyexclusiveandexhaustiveeventsassociatedwitharandomexperiment.FindP(A)given
3 1
that P(B) = P(A) and P(C) = P(B) .
2 2
19. Twodicearetossed.Findtheprobabilityofgettinganevennumberonthefirstdieoratotalof8.
20. Iftwodicearethrown,whatistheprobabilitythatthesumis(a)greaterthan8 (b)neither7nor11?
21. Anintegerischosenatrandomfromtwohundreddigits.Whatistheprobabilitythattheintegerisdivisibleby6or8?
22. TheprobabilitythatastudentpassesaPhysicstestis(2/3)andtheprobabilitythathepassesbothaPhysicstestand

an English test is (14/45). The probability that he passes at least one test is (4/5). What is the probability that he
passestheEnglishtest?
23. Acardisdrawnfromapackof52cards.Findtheprobabilityofgettingakingoraheartoraredcard?
24. Outof(2n+1)ticketsconsecutivelynumbered,threearedrawnatrandom.Findthechancethatthenumbersonthem
areinA.P.
25. ForanythreeeventsA,BandC,provethat
(a) P(A B|C) = P(A|C) + P(B|C) P(A B|C)

26. IfAandBareindependentevents,then
(b) P(A B|C) + P(A B|C) = P(A|C)

(a) A and B (b) A and B (c) A and B arealsoindependent.

27. If A B = thenshowthat P(A) P(B) .

3 5 3 3 5
28. LetAandBbetwoeventssuchthat P(A) = and P(B) = ,showthat(a) P(A B) (b) P(A B) .
4 8 4 8 8
29. ForanytwoeventsAandB,provethat P(A B) P(A) P(A B) P(A) + P(B) .
30. TheoddsinfavourthatpersonXspeakstruthis3:2andthatofYis5:3.Inwhat%ofcasesaretheylikelytocontradict
eachotheronanidenticalpoint?
31. A problem in Statistics is given to three students A, B and C whose chances of solving it are 1/2, 3/5 and

1/4respectively.Whatisprobabilitythatthepersonwillbesolvedifallofthemtryindependently?
32. Three groups of children contain 3 girls and 1 boy; 2 girls and 2 boys; 1 girl and 3 boys respectively. One child is
selectedatrandomfromeachgroup.Showthatthechancethatthethreeselectedconsistof1girland2boysis13/32
33. A,BandCplayagameandthechancesoftheirwinningitinanattemptare2/3,1/2and1/4respectively.Ahasthe
firstchance,followedbyBandthenbyC.Thiscycleisrepeatedtilloneofthemwinsthegame.Findtheirrespective
chancesofwinningthegame.
34. Fromacitypopulation,theprobabilityofselecting(i)amaleorasmokeris7/10,(ii)amalesmokeris2/5and(iii)a
male,ifasmokerisalreadyselectedis2/3.Findtheprobabilityofselecting (a)anonsmoker
(b)amale (c)asmokerifamaleisfirstselected.