Filip goes to a movie theater on weekends. On any given weekend, there is a 50% chance he will buy popcorn, there is a 40% chance he will buy juice, and there is a 20% chance he will buy both popcorn and juice. Mathematically determine whether the two events “buy popcorn” and “buy juice” are independent events. Enter 1 for dependent or 2 for independent.

1 answer

To determine whether the events "buy popcorn" (let's call it \(A\)) and "buy juice" (let's call it \(B\)) are independent, we need to verify if the following condition holds:

\[ P(A \cap B) = P(A) \times P(B) \]

Where:

  • \(P(A)\) is the probability of buying popcorn.
  • \(P(B)\) is the probability of buying juice.
  • \(P(A \cap B)\) is the probability of buying both popcorn and juice.

We are given:

  • \(P(A) = 0.5\) (the probability Filip buys popcorn)
  • \(P(B) = 0.4\) (the probability Filip buys juice)
  • \(P(A \cap B) = 0.2\) (the probability Filip buys both popcorn and juice)

Now let's compute \(P(A) \times P(B)\):

\[ P(A) \times P(B) = 0.5 \times 0.4 = 0.2 \]

Now we compare \(P(A \cap B)\) with \(P(A) \times P(B)\):

  • \(P(A \cap B) = 0.2\)
  • \(P(A) \times P(B) = 0.2\)

Since \(P(A \cap B) = P(A) \times P(B)\), the two events are independent.

Therefore, the answer is 2 for independent.