Tree diagrams and contingency tables
The tree and the table are the two tools used to organise the data of a probability problem before calculating anything. They are interchangeable: everything you see in a tree can be written in a table, and vice versa. The key is to build them properly — the calculation afterwards is almost automatic.
Building a tree: one branch for each step
A 2nd Year Baccalaureate student sits a final Physics exam. It is known that $70\%$ of the students who studied using the school's digital platform passed, whereas only…
A 2nd Year Baccalaureate student sits a final Physics exam. It is known that $70\%$ of the students who studied using the school's digital platform passed, whereas only $40\%$ of those who did not use it passed. It is estimated that $60\%$ of the class used the platform.
Using a tree diagram, determine:
- a) The probability that a student chosen at random passed the exam.
- b) Given that a student failed, what is the probability that they did not use the digital platform?
With and without replacement: when the branches change
A box of tech supplies contains $8$ white wireless mice and $4$ black ones. If two mice are drawn sequentially without replacement: a) Draw the tree diagram describing…
A box of tech supplies contains $8$ white wireless mice and $4$ black ones. If two mice are drawn sequentially without replacement:
- a) Draw the tree diagram describing all possible outcomes, indicating the probabilities on each branch.
- b) Calculate the probability that both mice drawn are the same colour.
You can do it on paper and send a photo with your answer.
Adding final branches: when the event can be reached by several paths
In a language academy, students are divided according to the course they take: $50\%$ study English, $30\%$ French and $20\%$ German. In addition, it is known that the…
In a language academy, students are divided according to the course they take: $50\%$ study English, $30\%$ French and $20\%$ German. In addition, it is known that the percentage of women in each course is $60\%$, $55\%$ and $45\%$ respectively.
If a student is chosen at random, construct a contingency table (considering a hypothetical total of 1 000 students) and calculate:
- a) The probability that the student is male.
- b) Given that the student is male, the probability that he studies English.
Building and completing a contingency table
In a study on the use of social media at a secondary school in Madrid, it has been observed that, in a group of $100$ Bachillerato students, $65$ regularly use TikTok…
In a study on the use of social media at a secondary school in Madrid, it has been observed that, in a group of $100$ Bachillerato students, $65$ regularly use TikTok and $45$ use Instagram. In addition, it is known that $25$ students use both platforms.
Represent this data in a contingency table (with the rows "TikTok" and "No TikTok", the columns "Instagram" and "No Instagram", and the row and column totals) and calculate the probability that, when choosing a student at random:
- a) They use neither of the two social networks.
- b) They use TikTok, given that they already use Instagram.
From tree to table, and from table to tree
A streaming* platform offers two types of subscriptions: Standard and Premium. It is known that $60 \%$ of users have the Standard subscription, while the rest have the…
A streaming platform offers two types of subscriptions: Standard and Premium. It is known that $60 \%$ of users have the Standard subscription, while the rest have the Premium one. Of the users with a Standard subscription, $25 \%$ watch content in 4K resolution, while among Premium users, this percentage rises to $80 \%$.
Represent the situation using a tree diagram and calculate:
- a) The probability that a randomly chosen user watches content in 4K.
- b) If we know that a user is watching a movie in 4K, what is the probability that they have a Standard subscription?
In a prestigious esports academy, players are classified according to their performance into two categories: Elite ($E$) and Promising ($P$). A study has been conducted…
In a prestigious esports academy, players are classified according to their performance into two categories: Elite ($E$) and Promising ($P$). A study has been conducted on the use of mechanical keyboards ($M$) and membrane keyboards ($\bar{M}$).
It is known that $30 \%$ of the players belong to the Elite category. Furthermore, among the Promising players, the probability of them using a membrane keyboard is twice that of them using a mechanical keyboard. Finally, it is known that the probability of a player chosen at random being Elite and using a mechanical keyboard is $0,24$.
- a) Construct the complete contingency table with the probabilities of each event.
- b) Calculate the probability that a player uses a mechanical keyboard.
- c) If we select a player who uses a mechanical keyboard, what is the probability that they belong to the Promising category?
- d) Are the events "being an Elite player" and "using a mechanical keyboard" independent? Justify your answer mathematically.
You can do it on paper and send a photo with your answer.