AMC124 Finals Reviewer

Set Theory (2.1 & 2.2)

1.

List the members of these sets.

a) {x | x is a real number such that x2 = 1}
b) {x | x is a positive integer less than 12}
c) {x | x is the square of an integer and x < 100}
d) {x | x is an integer such that x2 = 2}

2.

For each of these pairs of sets, determine whether the

first is a subset of the second, the second is a subset of
the first, or neither is a subset of the other.
a) the set of airline flights from New York to New
Delhi, the set of nonstop airline flights from New
York to New Delhi
b) the set of people who speak English, the set of people
who speak Chinese
c) the set of flying squirrels, the set of living creatures
that can fly

3.

Determine whether each of these pairs of sets are equal.

a) {1, 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5}, {5, 3, 1}
b) {{1}}, {1, {1}} c) , {}

4.

For each of the following sets, determine whether 2 is

an element of that set.
a) {x R | x is an integer greater than 1}
b) {x R | x is the square of an integer}
c) {2,{2}}
d) {{2},{{2}}}
e) {{2},{2,{2}}}
f ) {{{2}}}

5.

Determine whether each of these statements is true or

false.
a) 0
b) {0} c) {0}
d) {0} e) {0} {0} f ) {0} {0}
g) {} {}

6.

Determine whether each of these statements is true or

false.
a) x {x} b) {x} {x} c) {x} {x}
d) {x} {{x}} e) {x} f ) {x}

7.

What is the cardinality of each of these sets?

a) {a}
b) {{a}}
c) {a, {a}}
d) {a, {a}, {a, {a}}}

8.

Let A be the set of students who live within one mile of

school and let B be the set of students who walk to
classes. Describe the students in each of these sets.
a) A B
b) A B
c) A B
d) B AF

9.

Let A, B, and C be sets. Show that (A B) C = (A

C) (B C).

10. Let A, B, and C be sets. Show that

a) (A B) (A B C).
b) (A B C) (A B).
c) (A B) C A C.
d) (A C) (C B) = .
e) (B A) (C A) = (B C) A.

Counting (6)
1.

Explain how the sum and product rules can be used to find
the number of bit strings with a length not exceeding 10.

2.

a) Explain how to find a formula for the number of

ways to select r objects from n objects when repetition
is allowed and order does not matter.
b) How many ways are there to select a dozen objects
from among objects of five different types if objects of
the same type are indistinguishable?
c) How many ways are there to select a dozen objects
from these five different types if there must be at least
three objects of the first type?
d) How many ways are there to select a dozen objects
from these five different types if there cannot be more
than four objects of the first type?
e) How many ways are there to select a dozen objects
from these five different types if there must be at least
two objects of the first type, but no more than three
objects of the second type?

3.

a) How many ways are there to deal hands of five cards

to six players from a standard 52-card deck?
b) How many ways are there to distribute n
distinguishable objects into k distinguishable boxes so
that ni objects are placed in box i?

4.

How many ways are there to choose 6 items from 10

distinct items when
a) the items in the choices are ordered and repetition
is not allowed?
b) the items in the choices are ordered and repetition
is allowed?
c) the items in the choices are unordered and
repetition is not allowed?
d) the items in the choices are unordered and
repetition is allowed?

5.

A test contains 100 true/false questions. How many

different ways can a student answer the questions on the
test, if answers may be left blank?

6.

How many bit strings of length 10 over the alphabet

{a, b, c} have either exactly three as or exactly four
bs?

7.

An ice cream parlor has 28 different flavors, 8 different

kinds of sauce, and 12 toppings.
a) In how many different ways can a dish of three
scoops of ice cream be made where each flavor can be
used more than once and the order of the scoops does
not matter?
b) How many different kinds of small sundaes are there
if a small sundae contains one scoop of ice cream, a
sauce, and a topping?
c) How many different kinds of large sundaes are there
if a large sundae contains three scoops of ice cream,
where each flavor can be used more than once and the
order of the scoops does not matter; two kinds of
sauce, where each sauce can be used only once and
the order of the sauces does not matter; and three
toppings, where each topping can be used only once
and the order of the toppings does not matter?

8.

9.

How many ways are there to choose a dozen donuts

from 20 varieties
a) if there are no two donuts of the same variety?
b) if all donuts are of the same variety?
c) if there are no restrictions?
d) if there are at least two varieties among the dozen
donuts chosen?
e) if there must be at least six blueberry-filled donuts?
f ) if there can be no more than six blueberry-filled
donuts?
Find n if
a) C(n, 2) = 45.
c) C(n, 5) = C(n, 2).D

b) C(n, 3) = P(n, 2).

b) What is the variance of the number that comes up

when a fair octahedral die is rolled?
6.

There are three cards in a box. Both sides of one card

are black, both sides of one card are red, and the third
card has one black side and one red side. We pick a card
at random and observe only one side.
a) If the side is black, what is the probability that the
other side is also black?
b) What is the probability that the opposite side is the
same color as the one we observed?

7.

Suppose that A and B are events with probabilities

p(A) = 3/4 and p(B) = 1/3.
a) What is the largest p(A B) can be? What is the
smallest it can be? Give examples to show that both
extremes for p(A B) are possible.
b) What is the largest p(A B) can be? What is the
smallest it can be? Give examples to show that both
extremes for p(A B) are possible.

8.

Suppose that a fair standard (cubic) die and a fair

octahedral die are rolled together.
a) What is the expected value of the sum of the numbers
that come up?
b) What is the variance of the sum of the numbers that
come up?

9.

What is the probability that a 13-card bridge hand

contains
a) all 13 hearts?
b) 13 cards of the same suit?
c) seven spades and six clubs?
d) seven cards of one suit and six cards of a second suit?
e) four diamonds, six hearts, two spades, and one club?
f ) four cards of one suit, six cards of a second suit, two
cards of a third suit, and one card of the fourth suit?

10. How many ways are there to distribute six objects to

five boxes if
a) both the objects and boxes are labeled?
b) the objects are labeled, but the boxes are unlabeled?
c) the objects are unlabeled, but the boxes are labeled?
d) both the objects and the boxes are unlabeled?

Discrete Probability
1.

a) Define the conditional probability of an event E

given an event F.
b) Suppose E is the event that when a die is rolled it
comes up an even number, and F is the event that when
a die is rolled it comes up 1, 2, or 3. What is the
probability of F given E?

2.

a) What is a random variable?

b) What are the possible values assigned by the random
variable X that assigns to a roll of two dice the larger
number that appears on the two dice?

3.

What is the probability that six consecutive integers will

be chosen as the winning numbers in a lottery where
each number chosen is an integer between 1 and 40
(inclusive)?

4.

5.

A player in the Powerball lottery picks five different

integers between 1 and 59, inclusive, and a sixth integer
between 1 and 39, which may duplicate one of the
earlier five integers. The player wins the jackpot if the
first five numbers picked match the first five number
drawn and the sixth number matches the sixth number
drawn.
a) What is the probability that a player wins the jackpot?
b) What is the probability that a player wins $200,000,
which is the prize for matching the first five numbers,
but not the sixth number, drawn?
c) What is the probability that a player wins $100 by
matching exactly three of the first five and the sixth
numbers or four of the first five numbers but not the
sixth number?
d) What is the probability that a player wins a prize, if a
prize is given when the player matches at least three
of the first five numbers or the last number.
An octahedral die has eight faces that are numbered 1
through 8.
a) What is the expected value of the number that comes
up when a fair octahedral die is rolled?

10. a) Define the probability of an event when all outcomes

are equally likely.

b) What is the probability that you select the six
winning numbers in a lottery if the six different winning
numbers are selected from the first 50 positive integers?
11. Consider the following game. A person flips a coin
repeatedly until a head comes up. This person receives a
payment of 2n dollars if the first head comes up at the
nth flip.
a) Let X be a random variable equal to the amount of
money the person wins. Show that the expected value
of X does not exist (that is, it is infinite). Show that a
rational gambler, that is, someone willing to pay to
play the game as long as the price to play is not more
than the expected payoff, should be willing to wager
any amount of money to play this game. (This is
known as the St. Petersburg paradox. Why do you
suppose it is called a paradox?)
b) Suppose that the person receives 2n dollars if the first
head comes up on the nth flip where n < 8 and 28 =
256 dollars if the first head comes up on or after the
eighth flip. What is the expected value of the amount
of money the person wins? How much money should
a person be willing to pay to play this game?