Dependent and Independent Events
Whether it rains on Saturday in Guadalajara and whether you pass Monday's exam have nothing to do with each other: knowing one thing doesn't change the probability of the other. But if you draw a king from a deck of cards and don't put it back, the probability that the next card is also a king does change. Here you will learn when two events are independent (they don't influence each other) and when they are dependent (they do), and how that simplifies or complicates the calculation of $P(A\cap B)$. At the end we'll come back to the deck of cards to wrap up the idea.
Independence of events
The idea: if the information from $B$ doesn't help you predict $A$, then the probability of $A$ "inside $B$" is the same as it is in general.
A 1st Baccalaureate student has two exams on the same day: Mathematics and English. The probability of passing Mathematics is $P(M) = 0.7$ and that of passing English is…
A 1st Baccalaureate student has two exams on the same day: Mathematics and English. The probability of passing Mathematics is $P(M) = 0.7$ and that of passing English is $P(I) = 0.8$. Assuming that passing one exam does not affect the result of the other:
- a) Calculate the probability of passing both exams.
- b) Calculate the probability of passing neither exam.
The product rule and how to check independence
The general rule is $P(A\cap B)=P(A)\cdot P(B|A)$. If $A$ and $B$ are independent, $P(B|A)=P(B)$ and the rule simplifies.
Checking independence with a table
Let $A$ and $B$ be two events associated with a random experiment. We know that the probability of event $A$ occurring is $P(A) = 0.6$ and the probability of event $B$…
Let $A$ and $B$ be two events associated with a random experiment. We know that the probability of event $A$ occurring is $P(A) = 0.6$ and the probability of event $B$ occurring is $P(B) = 0.3$. If the events are known to be independent, calculate the probability of both occurring at the same time, that is, $P(A \cap B)$.
A survey was carried out in a high school on the use of two social networks: Instagram ($I$) and TikTok ($T$). The results show that $70\%$ of the students use…
A survey was carried out in a high school on the use of two social networks: Instagram ($I$) and TikTok ($T$). The results show that $70\%$ of the students use Instagram, $50\%$ use TikTok, and $35\%$ use both platforms. Determine whether the use of Instagram is independent of the use of TikTok in this school.
Look at the following contingency table showing the preferred type of sport for a group of 100 teenagers: | | Soccer ($F$) | Basketball ($B$) | TOTAL |…
Look at the following contingency table showing the preferred type of sport for a group of 100 teenagers:
| Soccer ($F$) | Basketball ($B$) | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys ($H$) | 45 | 15 | 60 |
| Girls ($M$) | 30 | 10 | 40 |
| TOTAL | 75 | 25 | 100 |
A teenager is chosen at random. Calculate:
- a) $P(F)$, the probability that they like soccer.
- b) $P(F|H)$, the probability that they like soccer given that they are a boy.
- c) In light of the results, are the events "being a boy" and "liking soccer" independent?
On a music streaming platform, $60\%$ of users listen to the "Urban" genre ($U$) and $45\%$ listen to "Pop" ($P$). It is also known that $27\%$ of users listen to both…
On a music streaming platform, $60\%$ of users listen to the "Urban" genre ($U$) and $45\%$ listen to "Pop" ($P$). It is also known that $27\%$ of users listen to both music genres.
- a) Determine whether the events "listening to Urban" and "listening to Pop" are independent. Justify your answer mathematically.
- b) If we select a user who we know listens to "Pop" music, what is the probability that they also listen to "Urban"?
At a secondary school in Madrid, a study was conducted on breakfast habits and the school year of the students, obtaining the following data: | | 1st Baccalaureate | 2nd…
At a secondary school in Madrid, a study was conducted on breakfast habits and the school year of the students, obtaining the following data:
| 1st Baccalaureate | 2nd Baccalaureate | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eats breakfast at home | 72 | 48 | 120 |
| Does not eat breakfast at home | 48 | 32 | 80 |
| Total | 120 | 80 | 200 |
A student is chosen at random. Check whether the event "eating breakfast at home" is independent of the event "being in 1st Baccalaureate".
With replacement and without replacement
When drawing from an urn, independence depends on whether you put back what you drew.
Tree diagram with changing probabilities
When there is dependence, the branches of the second stage carry conditional probabilities, which change depending on what happened before. You multiply along each path and add the paths that meet the requirement.
Tip: at each level of the tree, the branches leaving the same node add up to 1. If they don't, there is a mistake.
In a gumball machine there are balls of three colors: 10 red, 6 blue and 4 green. A child draws a gumball, notes its color, puts it back into the machine and draws a…
In a gumball machine there are balls of three colors: 10 red, 6 blue and 4 green. A child draws a gumball, notes its color, puts it back into the machine and draws a second gumball.
- a) Justify whether the events "drawing a red ball on the first" and "drawing a blue ball on the second" are dependent or independent.
- b) Calculate the probability that the first gumball is blue and the second is green.
We draw two cards from a Spanish 40-card deck, one after the other and without returning the first to the deck. a) What is the probability that the first card is a King?…
We draw two cards from a Spanish 40-card deck, one after the other and without returning the first to the deck.
- a) What is the probability that the first card is a King?
- b) Given that the first card was a King, what is the probability that the second is also a King?
- c) Are these events dependent or independent?
In a drawer in a changing room of a clothes shop, 4 black socks and 2 white socks of the same size and feel have been left behind. If a shop assistant reaches in and…
In a drawer in a changing room of a clothes shop, 4 black socks and 2 white socks of the same size and feel have been left behind. If a shop assistant reaches in and draws two socks at random, one after the other and without looking:
- a) Complete the following tree diagram with the corresponding probabilities.
- b) Calculate the probability that both drawn socks are black.
An urn contains 5 yellow balls and 3 purple balls. We draw two balls from the urn consecutively and without replacement. a) Draw the tree diagram corresponding to this…
An urn contains 5 yellow balls and 3 purple balls. We draw two balls from the urn consecutively and without replacement.
- a) Draw the tree diagram corresponding to this experiment, indicating the probability of each branch.
- b) Calculate the probability that the two drawn balls are the same color.
We draw two cards from a Spanish 40-card deck, one after the other and without replacing the first. a) What is the probability that the second card is a King, given that…
We draw two cards from a Spanish 40-card deck, one after the other and without replacing the first.
- a) What is the probability that the second card is a King, given that the first card was the Ace of Coins?
- b) What is the probability of obtaining two face cards (Jack, Knight or King) of different suits?
Several events, complements, and the union
If the events are independent, the rule extends: $P(A\cap B\cap C)=P(A)\,P(B)\,P(C)$. For three or more events, mutual independence requires the product rule to hold for all combinations, not just pairs.
"At least one" with independent events
Calculating "at least one" is easier with the complement: $P(\text{at least one})=1-P(\text{none})$.
When you only know the union
For any events, $P(A\cup B)=P(A)+P(B)-P(A\cap B)$. With it you can solve for $P(A\cap B)$ and then compare with $P(A)P(B)$.
In a quality control process at a light bulb factory, the probability of a light bulb being defective is known to be $0.02$. If two light bulbs are chosen at random,…
In a quality control process at a light bulb factory, the probability of a light bulb being defective is known to be $0.02$. If two light bulbs are chosen at random, calculate the probability that:
- a) Neither is defective.
- b) Both are defective.
(Note: The batch size is so large that selecting a light bulb can be assumed not to affect the probability of the next).
Two electronic components of a drone, $A$ and $B$, function independently. The probability of component $A$ failing is $0.05$ and the probability of component $B$…
Two electronic components of a drone, $A$ and $B$, function independently. The probability of component $A$ failing is $0.05$ and the probability of component $B$ failing is $0.08$.
- a) Calculate the probability that the drone can keep flying if at least one of the two components must function correctly for this to happen.
- b) Calculate the probability that exactly one of the two components fails.
A high school student has two independent alarm clocks on their cell phone. The first ($D_1$) works on $95\%$ of mornings and the second ($D_2$) works $90\%$ of the…
A high school student has two independent alarm clocks on their cell phone. The first ($D_1$) works on $95\%$ of mornings and the second ($D_2$) works $90\%$ of the time.
- a) Calculate the probability that the student oversleeps because neither alarm clock goes off.
- b) If we know that at least one of the alarm clocks went off, what is the probability that alarm clock $D_1$ failed?
Let $A$ and $B$ be two events in a sample space such that $P(A) = 0.4$, $P(B) = 0.3$ and $P(A \cup B) = 0.58$. a) Calculate $P(A \cap B)$. b) Determine whether events…
Let $A$ and $B$ be two events in a sample space such that $P(A) = 0.4$, $P(B) = 0.3$ and $P(A \cup B) = 0.58$.
- a) Calculate $P(A \cap B)$.
- b) Determine whether events $A$ and $B$ are independent.
- c) Calculate the conditional probability $P(A | \bar{B})$, where $\bar{B}$ is the complementary event of $B$.
Probabilities that depend on what came before
In many problems the probability of the second stage depends on the result of the first (a video game, a free throw, a message that doesn't arrive). They are solved with the tree: you multiply along the branches and add the paths you are asked about. If you are told the final result and asked about the first one, you use $P(A|B)=\dfrac{P(A\cap B)}{P(B)}$.
A video game programmer is testing a character's "critical hit" system. The character has a probability of $0.2$ of landing a critical hit ($C$). However, the system is…
A video game programmer is testing a character's "critical hit" system. The character has a probability of $0.2$ of landing a critical hit ($C$). However, the system is designed so that if the last hit was critical, the probability of the next hit also being critical drops to $0.1$ due to ability cooldown. If the last hit was not critical, the probability of the next hit remains at $0.2$.
- a) Are the events "first hit critical" and "second hit critical" independent? Reason your answer.
- b) Calculate the probability that, in a sequence of two hits, the character does not land any critical hits.
In a popular strategy video game, players open "legendary chests" to obtain rewards. The probability of getting an S-level hero from the first chest is only $0.05$.…
In a popular strategy video game, players open "legendary chests" to obtain rewards. The probability of getting an S-level hero from the first chest is only $0.05$. However, the game has an "accumulated luck" system: if you do not get the hero from a chest, the probability of getting it from the next one increases by $0.02$ compared with the probability for the previous chest. If you get the hero, the probability goes back to $0.05$ for the next attempt.
The figure shows the situation you must study: the first two chests do not give the hero and the hero appears in the third.
Calculate the probability that a player needs to open exactly three chests to get their first S-level hero.
An urn contains $n$ white balls and $4$ black balls. Two balls are drawn successively without replacement. Knowing that the probability that both balls are white is…
An urn contains $n$ white balls and $4$ black balls. Two balls are drawn successively without replacement. Knowing that the probability that both balls are white is exactly $\frac{1}{3}$, determine using an algebraic equation how many white balls were initially in the urn.
A two-factor authentication security system sends a code to the user's cell phone. If the first message does not arrive (which occurs with a probability of $0.12$), the…
A two-factor authentication security system sends a code to the user's cell phone. If the first message does not arrive (which occurs with a probability of $0.12$), the system attempts a second send. However, due to network congestion, if the first send failed, the probability of the second also failing increases to $0.45$. On the other hand, if the first send was successful, the probability of the user receiving a second confirmation message is $0.98$.
Calculate the probability that a user receives the second message, regardless of what happened with the first.
In basketball practice, a player shoots two consecutive free throws. The probability of scoring the first is $0.7$. If he scores the first, his confidence increases and…
In basketball practice, a player shoots two consecutive free throws. The probability of scoring the first is $0.7$. If he scores the first, his confidence increases and the probability of scoring the second is $0.8$. If he misses the first, he gets nervous and the probability of scoring the second drops to $0.4$.
If we know that the player scored only one of the two shots, what is the probability that it was the second?
Complex events and reasoning
Some problems ask you to reason with intervals or with total probability and Bayes' theorem.
Three pharmaceutical laboratories ($L_1$, $L_2$ and $L_3$) manufacture the same type of antigen test. $L_1$ produces $45\%$ of the total, $L_2$ produces $30\%$ and $L_3$…
Three pharmaceutical laboratories ($L_1$, $L_2$ and $L_3$) manufacture the same type of antigen test. $L_1$ produces $45\%$ of the total, $L_2$ produces $30\%$ and $L_3$ produces the rest. It is known that the percentage of defective tests is $1\%$ for $L_1$, $2\%$ for $L_2$ and $3\%$ for $L_3$.
If we choose two tests at random from a large batch where all manufacturers are mixed together (you may consider the drawing to be with replacement due to the large volume):
- a) What is the probability that both are defective?
- b) Given that the first turned out to be defective, what is the probability that the second is also defective? Justify whether these events are dependent or independent.
Two events $A$ and $B$ satisfy $P(A) = 0.6$ and $P(B) = 0.7$. The figure shows a Venn diagram with both events inside the sample space $\Omega$. a) Determine the…
Two events $A$ and $B$ satisfy $P(A) = 0.6$ and $P(B) = 0.7$. The figure shows a Venn diagram with both events inside the sample space $\Omega$.
- a) Determine the interval of possible values for the probability of the intersection $P(A \cap B)$.
- b) Based on this, explain why the events $A$ and $B$ can never be mutually exclusive.
- c) What value should $P(A \cap B)$ have for $A$ and $B$ to be independent?
At an intelligence center, facial recognition software analyzes images. The probability that it correctly identifies an individual if they are in the database is $0.95$.…
At an intelligence center, facial recognition software analyzes images. The probability that it correctly identifies an individual if they are in the database is $0.95$. However, the software has a margin of error and sometimes incorrectly identifies people who are not in the database with a probability of $0.02$.
Given that only $1\%$ of the people passing through customs are in the database, calculate:
- a) The probability that the software triggers an alert (identifies someone).
- b) If the software has identified a person, what is the probability that they are actually in the database?
Two tetrahedral dice (faces numbered 1 to 4) are rolled. Let the events be: $A$: "The sum of the faces is a prime number". $B$: "The product of the faces is a multiple…
Two tetrahedral dice (faces numbered 1 to 4) are rolled. Let the events be:
-
$A$: "The sum of the faces is a prime number".
-
$B$: "The product of the faces is a multiple of 4".
-
$C$: "At least one of the dice shows a 1".
Study the independence of events $A$ and $B$, and of events $B$ and $C$. Is there any dependence relationship between the outcome of the first die and the outcome of the second? Explain mathematically.