Let A and B be events with P(A) = 0.6, P(B) = 0.4 and P(A or B) = 0.7

Compute P(A and B)

Are A and B mutually exclusive? Explain
Are A and B independent? Explain

1 answer

To calculate \( P(A \text{ and } B) \), we use the formula related to the probabilities of two events:

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

From the problem:

  • \( P(A) = 0.6 \)
  • \( P(B) = 0.4 \)
  • \( P(A \text{ or } B) = 0.7 \)

We can substitute the values into the formula to find \( P(A \text{ and } B) \):

\[ 0.7 = 0.6 + 0.4 - P(A \text{ and } B) \]

Now, solving for \( P(A \text{ and } B) \):

\[ 0.7 = 1.0 - P(A \text{ and } B) \]

\[ P(A \text{ and } B) = 1.0 - 0.7 = 0.3 \]

Summary of Results:

  • \( P(A \text{ and } B) = 0.3 \)

Are A and B Mutually Exclusive?

Two events \( A \) and \( B \) are mutually exclusive if they cannot happen at the same time, which mathematically means \( P(A \text{ and } B) = 0 \).

In this case, we found \( P(A \text{ and } B) = 0.3 \), which indicates that both events can occur simultaneously, and therefore:

  • A and B are not mutually exclusive.

Are A and B Independent?

Two events \( A \) and \( B \) are independent if the occurrence of one does not affect the occurrence of the other, mathematically represented as:

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

Let's compute \( P(A) \cdot P(B) \):

\[ P(A) \cdot P(B) = 0.6 \cdot 0.4 = 0.24 \]

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

  • \( P(A \text{ and } B) = 0.3 \)
  • \( P(A) \cdot P(B) = 0.24 \)

Since \( P(A \text{ and } B) \neq P(A) \cdot P(B) \), it implies that the occurrence of \( A \) does have an effect on the occurrence of \( B \) and vice versa:

  • A and B are not independent.

Final Conclusions:

  1. \( P(A \text{ and } B) = 0.3 \)
  2. A and B are not mutually exclusive.
  3. A and B are not independent.