Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee

Autumn Semester 2020-21

MAN-501C (Probability and Statistics)
Assignment 1
(1) Let A, B be two events such that P(A) = 1/3 and P(𝐵 𝑐 ) = 1/4. Can A and B be
disjoint? Explain.
(2) Let A, B and C be three events associated with an experiment such that P(A) =
0.7, P(B) = 0.3, P(C) = 0.4, P(A ∩ B) = P(B ∩ C) = P(A ∩ C) = 0.2, and P(A ∪ (B ∩ C))
= 0.8. What is the probability that at least one of A, B and C occurs?
(3) Three distinct integers are chosen at random from 20 consecutive positive integers.
What is the probability that (a) their sum is even (b) their product is even?
(4) In a lot of 50 light bulbs, there are 2 defective bulbs. An inspector examines 5 bulbs
randomly without replacement. What is the probability that, among the 5 bulbs
inspected, (a) there is at least one defective bulb (b) exactly one defective bulb?
(5) If n balls are placed at random into n cells, find the probability that exactly one cell
remains empty.
(6) If n men, among which are A and B, stand in a row, what is the probability that
there will be exactly r men between A and B? (r ≤ n − 2).
(7) One integer is chosen at random from the integers 1, 2, . . . , 1000. What is the
probability that the chosen integer is divisible by 6 or 8?
(8) A box contains tags marked 1, 2, . . . , n. Two tags are chosen at random. Find the
probability that the numbers on the tags will be consecutive integers if (a) the tags are
chosen without replacement (b) the tags are chosen with replacement.
(9) A problem is given to two students A and B. The (conditional) probability that A can
solve the problem given that B can solve it is 3/7 and the (conditional) probability that
B can solve the problem given that A cannot solve it is 1/7. If the probability that B can
solve the problem is 1/10 , then what is the probability that A can solve it?
(10) There are three coins in a box. One of the coins is a two-headed coin (one head
on each side), another is a fair coin, and the third one is a biased coin that comes up
heads 75 percent of the time. (a) If a coin is drawn from the box at random and flipped,
what is the probability of getting a head? (b) If a coin drawn at random from the box
shows head when flipped, what is the probability that the coin drawn was the two-
headed coin?
(11) Suppose a certain computer program operates using either of two subroutines A
and B, depending on the problem. It is known that subroutine A is used 40 percent of
the time and B is used 60 percent of the time. If A is used, then there is a 75% chance
that the program will run before its time limit is exceeded; and if B is used there is a
50% chance that it will do so. (a) What is the probability that the program will run
without exceeding the time limit? (b) If for some random problem, it is known that the
program has exceeded its time limit, what is the probability that subroutine B was
used?
(12) A person answers each of two multiple choice questions at random. If there are
four possible choices for each question, what is the (conditional) probability that both
answers are correct given that at least one is correct?
(13) Suppose that A and B are two independent events associated with an experiment.
If the probability that A or B occurs equals 0.6, while the probability that A occurs
equals 0.4, determine the probability that B does not occur.
(14) A problem is given to three students whose probabilities of solving
(independently) it are 1/2,1/3 and 1/4. What is the probability that (a) only one of them
solves the problem (b) the problem is solved?
(15) Person A tosses two fair coins and then person B rolls a fair die. This is repeated
independently until two heads appear on a throw of the coins or one of the numbers
1, 2 appears on the die, at which time the game is stopped and the corresponding
person wins the game. Compute the probability that A wins the game.

ANSWERS:
10 10 10 10 48 48 2 𝑛
( )+( )( ) ( ) ( ) ( )( ) ( ) 𝑛! 2(𝑛−𝑟−1)
3 2 1 3 5 4 1 2
(1) No (2) 0.9 (3) (a) 20 , (b) 1 − 20 . (4) (a) 1 − 50 , (b) 50 (5) 𝑛𝑛
(6) 𝑛(𝑛−1)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
3 3 5 5

2(𝑛−1)
(7) ¼ , (8) (a) 2/n, (b) 𝑛2
, (9) 3/5, (10) (a) 3/4, (b) 4/9, (11) (a) 3/5, (b) ¾ (12) 1/7, (13) 2/3, (14)
(a) 11/24 , (b) 3/4

(15) ½.