Let A and B be events with P(A) = 0.3, P(B) = 0.7 and P (A or B) = 0.9

A) Compute P(A and B)
B) Are A and B mutually exclusive? Explain
C) Are A and B independent? Explain

1 answer

To solve the problems, we can utilize the formulas related to probability.

A) Compute \( P(A \text{ and } B) \)

We know the formula for the probability of the union of two events:

\[ P(A \text{ or } B) = P(A) + P(B) - P(A \text{ and } B) \]

Given:

  • \( P(A) = 0.3 \)
  • \( P(B) = 0.7 \)
  • \( P(A \text{ or } B) = 0.9 \)

Substituting the known values into the union formula gives:

\[ 0.9 = 0.3 + 0.7 - P(A \text{ and } B) \]

Simplifying this equation:

\[ 0.9 = 1.0 - P(A \text{ and } B) \]

To isolate \( P(A \text{ and } B) \):

\[ P(A \text{ and } B) = 1.0 - 0.9 = 0.1 \]

So,

\[ \boxed{P(A \text{ and } B) = 0.1} \]

B) Are A and B mutually exclusive?

Two events are mutually exclusive if they cannot occur at the same time, which means:

\[ P(A \text{ and } B) = 0 \]

Since we calculated \( P(A \text{ and } B) = 0.1 \), which is greater than 0, this indicates that events A and B can occur together. Thus, A and B are not mutually exclusive.

C) Are A and B independent?

Two events are independent if the occurrence of one does not affect the occurrence of the other, which mathematically can be expressed as:

\[ P(A \text{ and } B) = P(A) \cdot P(B) \]

Calculating \( P(A) \cdot P(B) \):

\[ P(A) \cdot P(B) = 0.3 \cdot 0.7 = 0.21 \]

Now we compare \( P(A \text{ and } B) \) with \( P(A) \cdot P(B) \):

  • \( P(A \text{ and } B) = 0.1 \)
  • \( P(A) \cdot P(B) = 0.21 \)

Since \( P(A \text{ and } B) = 0.1 \) is not equal to \( P(A) \cdot P(B) = 0.21 \), A and B are not independent.

Summary:

  • A) \( P(A \text{ and } B) = 0.1 \)
  • B) A and B are not mutually exclusive.
  • C) A and B are not independent.