Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Regional Office IX, Zamboanga Peninsula

10 Zest for Progress

Z Peal of artnership

Mathematics
Quarter 3 - Module 8:
Mutually exclusive events and
Solving Probability

Name of Learner: ___________________________

Grade & Section: ___________________________
Name of School: ___________________________
 What I Need to Know
The module contains only one lesson:
 Lesson 9 - Illustrates mutually exclusive events
 Lesson 10 – solves problems involving probability

In this module, you are expected to:

1. illustrate mutual and not mutual exclusive events
2. solve problems on probability
3. apply to real – life situation

What I Know
Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the letter on the space
provided before the number.
________1. What are mutually exclusive events?
A. Events that can happen at the same time.
B. Events that cannot happen at the same time
C. Events which consist of more than one outcome
D. Events which consist of one outcome.
________2. Which formula do you use when two events are mutually exclusive?

A. P (A or B) = P(A) + P(B)
B. P (A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(both)
C. P (A and B) = P(A) ● P(B)
D. P (A and B) = P(A) ● P ( )
________3. Which formula do you use when two events are NOT mutually exclusive?
A. P (A or B) = P(A) + P(B)
B. P (A and B) = P(A) ● P(B)
C. P (A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P (A or B)
D. P (A and B) = P(A) ● P ( )

___________4. Which situation presented is mutually exclusive events?

A. Turning left and turning right

B. Turning left and scratching your head
C. Cards: Kings and Hearts
D. Coin: {Head, Tail} and Dice: {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}

___________5. What is the probability of drawing a spade or a red card, If you draw one
card from a standard deck?
A. B. C. D.

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 What’s In
Activity 1: “Solve Me and Choose My Correct Answer!”
Directions: Solve the problems and choose the correct answer.

1. A die is thrown once. What is the probability that the score is a factor of 6?
A. 1/3 B. 2/3 C. 1/2 D.1/4

2. A fair coin is tossed one time. What is the probability of obtaining a “head”?
A. 1/2 B. 1/3 C. 1/4 D. 2/3

3. A card is chosen at random from a deck of 52 playing cards. What is the

probability the card chosen is 4?
A. 1/52 B. 1/26 C. 1/13 D. 4/13

What’s New
Mutually Exclusive Events
Two events A and B are said to be mutually exclusive if the occurrence of any one of
them excludes the occurrence of the other event.

In this diagram, the universal set is represented by a rectangular region and its
subsets by circles inside the rectangle. We represented disjoint set by disjoint circles and
intersecting sets by intersecting circles. Mutually exclusive events are things that cannot
happen at the same time.

Not Mutually Exclusive Events

If set A and set B have some elements in common, then to represent them, we draw two
circles which are overlapping.

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Let us have some examples.

Example 1. The events “running forward” and “running backwards” are mutually
exclusive. You cannot run backwards and forwards at the same time.

Example 2. Tossing a coin can also give you this type of event. You cannot toss a coin
and get both a heads and tails. So, “tossing a head” and “tossing a tail” are mutually
exclusive.

Example 3. Rolling a die.

(Sample space: {1,2,3,4,5,6}

Let E = getting odd number {1,3,5,}

F = getting even number {2,4,6}
G = getting prime number {2,3,5}
H = getting factors of 6 {1,2,3,6}

Event E and F are mutually exclusive since (E∩F = Ø

Event F and G are not mutually exclusive since (F∩G ≠ Ø) = {2}
Event F and H are not mutually exclusive since (F∩H ≠ Ø) = {2,6}
Event G and H are not mutually exclusive since (G∩H ≠ Ø) = {2,3}

Example 4. Mario has 45 red chips, 12 blue chips, and 24 white chips. What is the
probability that Mario randomly selects a red chip or a white chip?

This example illustrates mutually exclusive events.

 In connection to this situation, we can relate that mutually exclusive events

are two events A and B are said to be mutually exclusive if the occurrence of
one of them excludes the occurrence of the other event.

Now let us learn how to solve problems on Mutually Exclusive Events and those which
are not Mutually Exclusive Events. But before we go further, let us remember the
concepts below:

Mutually Exclusive: cannot happen at the same time.

Like for example:

 Turning left and turning right are Mutually Exclusive (you cannot do both at the same
time)
 Tossing a coin: Heads and Tails are Mutually Exclusive
 Cards: Kings and Aces are Mutually Exclusive

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What is not Mutually Exclusive:
 Turning left and scratching your head can happen at the same time
 Selecting cards of Kings and Hearts it can happen at the same time because we can
have a King of Hearts!

Like here:

Formulas:
 If two events A and B are mutually exclusive, then the probability that either A or B
occurs is the sum of their probabilities. In symbols,
P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B)
Remember, “or” means to add the probability of each event.

 If two events A and B are not mutually exclusive, then the probability that either A or
B occurs is the sum of their probability decreased by the probability of both
occurring. In symbols,
P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A and B)

To gain a better understanding of these two kinds of probability problems, let us start
our discussion using the playing cards.

Playing Cards Probability

Playing cards probability problems based on a well-shuffled deck of 52 cards.

Basic concept on drawing a card:

In a pack or deck of 52 playing cards, they are divided into 4 suits of 13 cards each i.e.
spades ♠ hearts ♥, diamonds ♦, clubs ♣.

Cards of Spades and clubs are black cards.

Cards of hearts and diamonds are red cards.

The card in each suit, are ace, king, queen, jack, or knaves, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2.

King, Queen and Jack (or Knaves) are face cards. So, there are 12 face cards in the deck
of 52 playing cards.

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Example 1: A card is drawn from a well shuffled pack of 52 cards. Find the probability
of picking a King or Queen.

Solution:
If you pick a card from a deck of 52 cards, the possibility is that the card that you
picked is either a King only or a Queen only. It is impossible that a card that you picked
could have two faces of a King and a Queen. This problem is referring to a Mutually
Exclusive Event.

Total number of kings is 4 out of 52 cards.

Total number of queens is 4 out of 52 cards.
Therefore,
P (picking a king or a queen) = P (picking a king) + P (picking a queen)
= +

Example 2: What is the probability of getting a diamond or a queen from a well –

shuffled deck of 52 cards?

Solution:
Is it possible that a card that you picked is at the same time a diamond or a
Queen? The answer of course is a yes.
This problem is referring to a NOT Mutually Exclusive Event.

We know that in a well-shuffled deck of 52 cards there are 13 diamonds and 4

queens.
Therefore, probability of getting a diamond from well shuffled deck of 52 cards is
.
The probability of getting a queen from a well-shuffled deck of 52 cards is .
But since picking a diamond can also be a queen at the same time meaning a
diamond queen which has a probability of . This must be subtracted from the sum of
the probability of getting a diamond or a queen.

According to the definition of Not Mutually Exclusive Events:

P (A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P (A or B)
= + –

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Example 3: What is the probability of pulling out a red card or the number 5?

Solution:
There are 13 red cards of heart and 13 red cards of diamond which is equal to a
total of 26 cards. There are 4 cards which are of number 5 and then because there are 2
red cards of number 5, a heart, and a diamond. So, the solution goes like this:

P (red card or number 5) = + –

Example 4: A bowl contains 15 chips numbered 1 to 15. If a chip is drawn randomly

from the bowl. What is the probability that it is:
a. 7 or 15?
b. 5 or a number divisible by 3?
c. Even or divisible by 3?
d. A numbered divisible by 3 or divisible by 4?

Solutions:
a) P (7 or 15) = + =

b) P (5 or a number divisible by 3) = + = or

Number divisible by 3: {3,6,9,12,15}

c) P (even or divisible by 3)
Set A = even numbers: {2,4,6,8,10,12,14}
Set B = number divisible by 3: {3,6,9,12,15}
A∩B = {6,12}

P (even or divisible by 3) = + -

= or

d) P (a number divisible by 3 or 4)
Set A = numbers divisible by 3: {3,6,9,12,15}
Set B = number divisible by 4: {4,8,12}
A∩B = {12}

P (a number divisible by 3 or 4) = + - =
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 What is it
ACTIVITY 2.1

Directions: Determine whether the situation presented is mutually exclusive or not.

Write your answer on the space provided before the number.
_________________1. Turning left and turning right
_________________2. Cards: Kings and Aces
_________________3. Turning left and scratching your head
_________________4. Cards: Kings and hearts
_________________5. Your ability to pay rent if you do not get paid
ACTIVITY 2.2

Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the letter on the space before
each number.
_____1. Which formula do you use when two events are mutually exclusive?

A. P (A or B) = P(A) + P(B)
B. P (A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(both)
C. P (A and B) = P(A) ● P(B)
D. P (A and B) = P(A) ● P ( )

_____2. Which formula do you use when two events are NOT mutually exclusive?

A. P (A or B) = P(A) + P(B)
B. P (A and B) = P(A) ● P(B)
C. P (A or B) = P(A) + P(B) – P (A or B)
D. P (A and B) = P(A) ● P ( )

_____3. Which of the following shows how to determine P (diamond or face card)?

A. + –

B. + –

C. + –

D. + –

_____4. There are 4 blue marbles, 5 red marbles, 1 green marble, and 2 black marbles in
a bag. Suppose you select one marble at random. Find the probability of picking a blue
or black marble.

A. B. C. D.

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______5. Out of 5200 households surveyed, 2107 had a dog, 807 had a cat, and 303 had
both dog and a cat. What is the probability that a randomly selected household has a
dog or a cat?

A. B. C. D.

What’s More
ACTIVITY 3
Directions: Solve the following problems. Write the letter of the answer on the space
before the number.

1. If you draw one card from a standard deck. What is the probability of drawing a
spade or a red card?
A. B. C. D. not possible

2. Dario puts 44 marbles in a box in which 14 are red, 12 are blue, and 18 are yellow. If
Dario picks one marble at random, what is the probability that he selects a red
marble or a yellow marble?
A. B. C. D.

3. Rhian likes to wear colored shirts. She has 15 shirts in the closet. Five of these are
blue, four are in different shades of red, and the rest are of different colors. What is
the probability that she will wear a blue or a red shirt?
A. B. C. D.

4. If you roll one die, what is the probability of getting an odd number or a 2?
A. B. C. D.

5. If you roll one die, what is the probability of getting an even number or a multiple of
3?
A. B. C. D.

What I Have Learned

Activity 4.1: What is the meaning of this?
Directions: Write the definition of mutually exclusive events.
Definitions

Mutually Exclusive Events 1.

2.

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 3.

Real-life situations that are examples of 1.

Mutually Exclusive Events
2.

3.

Activity 4.2: What’s the meaning of this?

Directions: Write the definition of not mutually exclusive events.
Definitions

NOT Mutually Exclusive Events 1.

2.

3.

Real-life situations that are examples of 1.

NOT Mutually Exclusive Events
2.

3.

What I Can Do
Activity 5: Cite Me!
Cite at least 10 real- life phenomena that cannot happen at the same time?

Assessment
Directions: Read and understand each item carefully. Write the letter of the correct
answer on the space before the number.

________1. If you draw one card from a standard deck, what is the probability of drawing
a 5 or a diamond? Are the events mutually exclusive or NOT mutually exclusive?

A. Mutually Exclusive B. Not Mutually Exclusive

_________2. If you draw one card from a standard deck, what is the probability of drawing
a spade or a red card? Are the events mutually exclusive or NOT mutually exclusive?

A. Mutually Exclusive B. Not Mutually Exclusive

_________3. If you are picking a card randomly from a deck of cards, the events of picking
a jack and picking a heart are mutually exclusive.

A. True B. False
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_______4. What is the probability of drawing a Queen or a King on an ordinary deck of
cards?

A. B. C. D.

_______5. If a card is drawn from an ordinary deck of cards, find the probability of
getting a heart or a face card.

A. B. C. D.

Use the problem below to answer numbers 6 and 7.

Of 240 students, 176 are on the honor roll, 48 are members of the Girl Scout Club, and 36 are in
the honor roll and are also members of the Girl Scout Club. What is the probability that a randomly
selected student is on the honor roll or is a member of the Girl Scout Club?

________6. Are the events in the problem mutually exclusive or NOT mutually exclusive?

A. Mutually Exclusive B. Not Mutually Exclusive

________7. Which is the exact answer on the problem?

A. B. C. D.

_________8. Brian likes to wear colored shirts. He has 10 shirts in the closet. Three of
these are blue, four are different shades of red, and the rest are of mixed or different
colors. What is the probability that he will wear a blue or a red shirt?

A. + C. +

B. + D. –

________9. The spinner on the right is spun. What is the probability of a spin that results
in an even number or a number less than 4?

A. B. C. D.

_________10. If you roll one die, what is the probability of getting an odd number or a number
less than 4?
A. B. C. D.

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MATHEMATICS 10 Q3 – MODULE 8 ANSWER KEY

What I Know
1. B
2. A
3. C
4. A
5. C
What’s In
1. C
2. B
3. C
What is it
Activity 2.1
1. Mutually exclusive
2. Mutually exclusive
3. Not mutually exclusive
4. Not mutually exclusive
5. Mutually exclusive
Activity 2.2
1. A
2. C
3. D
4. B
5. C
What’s More

Activity 3

1. C
2. D
3. D
4. A
5. B

Evaluation
1. B
2. A
3. B
4. D
5. C
6. B
7. D
8. C
9. B
10. D

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References
Bluman, Allan G., ( Eight Edition): Elementary Statistics. A Step by Step Approach,
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
pp. 195-196, 249-250.

Callanta, Melvin M.,Allan M. Canonigo, Arnaldo I. Chua, Jerry D. Cruz, et.al, 2015,
Mathematics Learner’s Module – Grade 10, edited by Maxima J. Acelajado, 5th floor
Mabini Building, Deped Complex Meralco Avenue, Pasig City, Rex Books Store,
Inc.

Ghosh, Priyanka, Math – Only – Math, November 27, 2020, https://www.math-only-

math.com/venn-diagrams.html

Ghosh, Priyanka, Math – Only – Math, November 27, 2020, https://www.math-only-

math.com/playing-cards-probability.html

Pierce, Rod, Math Is Fun, January 23, 2020, https://www.mathisfun.com/data/

probability-events-mutually-exclusive.html

Roberts, Donna, MathBitsNotebook, November 28, 2020, https://mathbitsnotebook.

com/Algebra2/Probability/PBSetPrbabilityPractice.html

Roberts, Donna, MathBitsNotebook, November 28, 2020, https://mathbitsnotebook.

com/Algebra2/Probability/S3.html

Development Team
Writer: Ana Elenita H. Maghanoy
Titay National High School

Editor/QA: Danniel M. Manlang

Ivy V. Deiparine
Pede I. Casing

Reviewer: Gina I. Lihao

EPS – Mathematics

Illustrator:
Layout Artist:
Management Team: Evelyn F. Importante
OIC- CID Chief EPS

Dr. Jerry C. Bokingkito

OIC- Assistant SDS

Dr. Aurilio A. Santisas, CESE

OIC- Assistant SDS

Dr. Jeanelyn A. Aleman, CESO VI

OIC-Schools Division Superintendent
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