PROBABILITY OF UNION OF

TWO EVENTS
( Quarter 3 Topic 11)
 Quick Recall

☝ The Probability of an event is the ratio that compares the

number of ways an event can occur to the number of
possible outcomes.

or
 Drill/Review
When two coins are flipped,
what is the probability of
getting
a) two heads?
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡h𝑒𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑟
𝑃 (𝐸)=
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠

1
𝑃 ( 𝑡𝑤𝑜 h𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 ) =
4
 Drill/Review

When two coins are flipped,

what is the probability of
getting
b) at least one head?
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡h𝑒𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑟
𝑃 (𝐸)=
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠
3
𝑃 (𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒 h𝑒𝑎𝑑)=
4
 Drill/Review

When two coins are flipped,

what is the probability of
getting
c) exactly one tail?
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡h𝑒𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑟
𝑃 (𝐸)=
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠
2 1
𝑃 ( 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙 )= =
4 2
 Drill/Review
When two coins are flipped,
what is the probability of
getting
d) at most one tail?

𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡h𝑒𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑟

𝑃 (𝐸)=
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠
3
𝑃 ( 𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙 )
4
OBJECTIVES:

 Illustrate the probability of a

union of two events

 Find the probability of

 Opening
Activity

Bobby and Chris are playing a

scrabble game. To determine who
will play first, they decided to roll a
die. Whoever gets the higher
number will put the word first.
Both players roll a die, and Bobby
rolls a 4. What is the probability
that Chris will play first?
 Opening
Bobby and Chris are playing a scrabble Activity
game. To determine who will play first,
they decided to roll a die. Whoever gets
the higher number will put the word
first. Both players roll a die, and Bobby
rolls a 4. What is the probability that
Chris will play first?
Let A be the event that the die shows a 5. 1
What is the probability of A?𝑃 ( 𝐴 )= 6
Let A be the event that the die shows a 6
What is the probability of B?𝑃 ( 𝐴 )= 1
6
 Opening
Bobby and Chris are playing a scrabble Activity
game. To determine who will play first,
they decided to roll a die. Whoever gets
the higher number will put the word
first. Both players roll a die, and Bobby
rolls a 4. What is the probability that
Chris will play first?
What is the probability of A and B?

compound event
What is the probability of A or B?
1 1 2 1
𝑃 ( 𝐴∪ 𝐵)= 𝑥 = =
6 6 6 3
 Key Points
to
Remember

☝ A compound event consists of two or more

simple events that are connected by the words
or .

☝ The probability of two events is found by adding

the probability of each event.
 Key Points
to
Probability of Union of Two Events Remember

☝ If A and B are events in the sample space,

then the probability of A or B occurring is:

☝ If A B is an empty set, then:

Illustrative Example 1:
Use the Venn Diagram to illustrate the probability of the
following:

a)
𝑆={𝑎 ,𝑏 ,𝑒 ,𝑡 ,𝑟 , 𝑢, 𝑖 , 𝑓 , 𝑑, 𝑝, 𝑞}
𝐴={𝑎 ,𝑏 ,𝑒 ,𝑡 ,𝑟 }
𝐵={𝑡 ,𝑟 , 𝑢 , 𝑖 }
𝐶 ={𝑝 , 𝑞 }

𝑃 ( 𝐴 ) =5 / 11
Illustrative Example 1:
Use the Venn Diagram to find the probability of the
following:

b)
𝑆={𝑎 ,𝑏 ,𝑒 ,𝑡 ,𝑟 , 𝑢, 𝑖 , 𝑓 , 𝑑, 𝑝, 𝑞}
𝐴={𝑎 ,𝑏 ,𝑒 ,𝑡 ,𝑟 }
𝐵={𝑡 ,𝑟 , 𝑢 , 𝑖 }
𝐶 ={𝑝 , 𝑞 }

𝑃 ( 𝐶 ) =2 /11
 Illustrative Example 1:
Use the Venn Diagram to find the probability of the
following:
c)
𝑆={𝑎 ,𝑏 ,𝑒 ,𝑡 ,𝑟 , 𝑢, 𝑖 , 𝑓 , 𝑑, 𝑝, 𝑞}
𝐴={𝑎 ,𝑏 ,𝑒 ,𝑡 ,𝑟 }
𝐵={𝑡 ,𝑟 , 𝑢 , 𝑖 }
𝐶 ={𝑝 , 𝑞 }
𝑃 ( 𝐴𝑜𝑟 𝐵 )=𝑃 ( 𝐴∪ 𝐵 ) =𝑃 ( 𝐴 ) + 𝑃 ( 𝐵 ) − 𝑃 ( 𝐴 ∩ 𝐵)
5 4 27
𝑃 ( 𝐴 𝑜𝑟 𝐵 )=𝑃 ( 𝐴 ∪ 𝐵 ) = + ¿−
11
11 11 11
 Illustrative Example 1:
Use the Venn Diagram to find the probability of the
following:
d)
𝑆={𝑎 ,𝑏 ,𝑒 ,𝑡 ,𝑟 , 𝑢, 𝑖 , 𝑓 , 𝑑, 𝑝, 𝑞}
𝐴={𝑎 ,𝑏 ,𝑒 ,𝑡 ,𝑟 }
𝐵={𝑡 ,𝑟 , 𝑢 , 𝑖 }
𝐶 ={𝑝 , 𝑞 }
𝑃 ( 𝐵 𝑜𝑟 𝐶 ) = 𝑃 ( 𝐵 ∪ 𝐶 ) = 𝑃 ( 𝐵 ) + 𝑃 ( 𝐶 )
4 62
𝑃 ( 𝐵 𝑜𝑟 𝐶 ) = 𝑃 ( 𝐵 ∪ 𝐶 ) =
¿ +
11 11
11
 Illustrative Example 1:
Use the Venn Diagram to find the probability of the
following:
e)
𝑆={𝑎 ,𝑏 ,𝑒 ,𝑡 ,𝑟 , 𝑢, 𝑖 , 𝑓 , 𝑑, 𝑝, 𝑞}
𝐴={𝑎 ,𝑏 ,𝑒 ,𝑡 ,𝑟 }
𝐵={𝑡 ,𝑟 , 𝑢 , 𝑖 }
𝐶 ={𝑝 , 𝑞 }
𝑃 𝐶 ) = 𝑃 ( 𝐸 ) − 𝑃 (𝐶 )
( ′

11 92
𝐶 )= ¿ −
′
11 1111
Illustrative Example 2:
A survey was conducted to know students’ involvement
in two sports – swimming and basketball. Of 100 students
surveyed 35 are involved in swimming, 50 are involved in basketball
and 20 are involved in both swimming and basketball.

a) Make a two – set Venn diagram

that depicts the given situation. 15 20 30

35
Illustrative Example 2:
A survey was conducted to know students’ involvement
in two sports – swimming and basketball. Of 100 students
surveyed 35 are involved in swimming, 50 are involved in basketball
and 20 are involved in both swimming and basketball.
b) What is the probability of randomly
selected students who are into
swimming but not basketball?

15 3
𝑃 (𝑆)= ¿
10020
𝑜𝑟 15 % 𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
Illustrative Example 2:
A survey was conducted to know students’ involvement
in two sports – swimming and basketball. Of 100 students
surveyed 35 are involved in swimming, 50 are involved in basketball
and 20 are involved in both swimming and basketball.
c) What is the probability of randomly
selected students who are into both
swimming and basketball?

20 1
𝑃 (𝑆 ∩¿
𝐵)=
1005
𝑜𝑟 20 % 𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
Illustrative Example 2:
A survey was conducted to know students’ involvement
in two sports – swimming and basketball. Of 100 students
surveyed 35 are involved in swimming, 50 are involved in basketball
and 20 are involved in both swimming and basketball.

d) What is the probability of randomly

selected students who are either into
swimming or basketball?
𝑃 ( 𝑆 ∪ 𝐵 )= 𝑃 ( 𝑆 ) + 𝑃 ( 𝐵 ) − 𝑃 (𝑆 ∩ 𝐵)
35 50 20
𝑃 ( 𝑆 ∪ 𝐵 )= + −
100 100 100
65 13
𝑃 (𝑆 ∪ 𝐵 ¿)= 𝑜𝑟
100 20
65 % 𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
Illustrative Example 2:
A survey was conducted to know students’ involvement
in two sports – swimming and basketball. Of 100 students
surveyed 35 are involved in swimming, 50 are involved in basketball
and 20 are involved in both swimming and basketball.

e) What is the probability of randomly

selected students neither into
swimming nor into basketball?
′
𝑃 ( 𝑆 ∪ 𝐵 ) =𝑃 ( 𝐸 ) − 𝑃 ( 𝑆 )+ 𝑃 ( 𝐵 ) − 𝑃 ( 𝑆 ∩ 𝐵)
100
′ 35 50 20
𝑃 (𝑆 ∪ 𝐵) = −( + )−
100 100 100 100
735
𝑃 (𝑆 ∪ ¿ 𝐵𝑜𝑟 )35=
′
% 𝑖𝑓 100
𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒
20
Illustrative Example 3:
The extracurricular activities in which the Grade 10
students of Pacita Complex NHS participate are shown in
the Venn diagram
below.
a) How many grade 10
students participate in the
extracurricular activities?
𝑃 ( 𝐸 ) = 278
Illustrative Example 3:
The extracurricular activities in which the Grade 10
students of Pacita Complex NHS participate are shown in
the Venn diagram
below.
b) What is the probability that
the students participate in
athletics?
159 53
𝑃 ( 𝐸 )= ¿
345 115
Illustrative Example 3:
The extracurricular activities in which the Grade 10
students of Pacita Complex NHS participate are shown in
the Venn diagram
below.
c) If a student is randomly
chosen, what is the
probability that the
student participates in
athletics or drama?
159 82 14 227
𝑃 ( 𝐴∪ 𝐷)= + − ¿
345 345 345 345
Illustrative Example 3:
The extracurricular activities in which the Grade 10
students of Pacita Complex NHS participate are shown in
the Venn diagram
below.
d) If a student is randomly
chosen, what is the
probability that the
student participates in
drama and band?
40 8
𝑃 ( 𝐷 ∩ 𝐵 )=
¿
345 69
Illustrative Example 4:
The Venn diagram below shows the probabilities of grade
10 students joining either soccer (S) or basketball (B).

Use the Venn diagram to find the probabilities.

S B

0.4 0.3 0.2

0.1
Illustrative Example 4:
The Venn diagram below shows the probabilities of grade
10 students joining either soccer (S) or basketball (B).

Use the Venn diagram to find the probabilities.

a) S B
𝑃 ( 𝐵 )=0.3+0.2=0.5
0.4 0.3 0.2

0.1
Illustrative Example 4:
The Venn diagram below shows the probabilities of grade
10 students joining either soccer (S) or basketball (B).

Use the Venn diagram to find the probabilities.

b) S B
𝑃 ( 𝐵 )=0.4+ 0.3=0.7
0.4 0.3 0.2

0.1
Illustrative Example 4:
The Venn diagram below shows the probabilities of grade
10 students joining either soccer (S) or basketball (B).

Use the Venn diagram to find the probabilities.

c) S B
𝑃 ( 𝐵 ∩ 𝑆 ) =0.3
0.4 0.3 0.2

0.1
Illustrative Example 4:
The Venn diagram below shows the probabilities of grade
10 students joining either soccer (S) or basketball (B).

Use the Venn diagram to find the probabilities.

d) S B
𝑃 ( 𝐵∪ 𝑆 )= 𝑃 ( 𝐵 ) +𝑃 ( 𝑆 ) − 𝑃 (𝐵∩ 𝑆)
𝑃 ( 𝐵 ∪ 𝑆 )= 0.5+ 0.7 −0.3 0.4 0.3 0.2
𝑃 ( 𝐵∪ 𝑆 )=0.9
0.1
Illustrative Example 4:
The Venn diagram below shows the probabilities of grade
10 students joining either soccer (S) or basketball (B).

Use the Venn diagram to find the probabilities.

E) S B
′
𝑃 ( 𝐵∪ 𝑆 ) =1.0 − 𝑃 ( 𝐵 ) + 𝑃 ( 𝑆 ) − 𝑃 ( 𝐵∩ 𝑆)
𝑃 ( 𝐵∪ 𝑆 )=1−(0.7 +0.5 − 0.3) 0.4 0.3 0.2

¿ 0.1
𝑃 ( 𝐵∪ 𝑆 )=1.0 −0.9 0.1
Illustrative Example 5:

Fifteen balls in a jar are numbered

from 1 to 15. A ball is drawn at
random. What is the probability that
the number on the ball is
a)less than 6
b)greater than 9
c)less than 6 or greater than 9
Illustrative Example 5:
Fifteen balls in a jar are numbered
from 1 to 15. A ball is drawn at
random. What is the probability that
the number on the ball is
a)less than 6
1 5
𝑃 (𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡h¿
𝑎𝑛 6 )=
3 15
Illustrative Example 5:
Fifteen balls in a jar are numbered
from 1 to 15. A ball is drawn at
random. What is the probability that
the number on the ball is
b) greater than 9
2 6
𝑃 (𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡h
¿ 𝑎𝑛 9 )=
5 15
Illustrative Example 5:
Fifteen balls in a jar are numbered
from 1 to 15. A ball is drawn at
random. What is the probability that
the number on the ball is
c) less than 6 or greater than 9
5 6
𝑃 ( 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡h𝑎𝑛6 𝑜𝑟 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡h𝑎𝑛 9 )= +
15 15
11
¿
15
Illustrative Example 6:

A card is drawn at random from a deck of 52 playing

cards. Find the probability that the card drawn is
a) an ace or a king
b) a heart or a queen
c) neither a King nor a Queen
Illustrative Example 6:
A card is drawn at random from a deck of 52 playing
cards. Find the probability that the card drawn is
a) an ace or a king
4 4
𝑃 ( 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 ) = +
52 52
8 2
𝑃 ( 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑎¿ 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 ) =
52
1
Illustrative Example 6:

A card is drawn at random from a deck of 52 playing

cards. Find the probability that the card drawn is
b) a heart or a queen
13 4 1
𝑃 ( 𝑎 h𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛 )= + −
52 52 52
161
¿
𝑃 (𝑎 h𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛)=
523
Illustrative Example 6:
A card is drawn at random from a deck of 52 playing
cards. Find the probability that the card drawn is
c) neither a King nor a Queen
52 4 4
𝑃 ( 𝑛𝑒𝑖𝑡h𝑒𝑟 𝑎 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑄𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛 )= − +
52 52 52
52 844
11
¿ ¿¿
−
52 52 13
52
Illustrative Example 7:

A spinner divided into 5 equal

parts and numbered 1 to 5 is
spun once. Find the probability
of the following:
a)the spin stops on either odd
number or even number
b)the spin stops on even
number or prime number
Illustrative Example 7:
A spinner divided into 5 equal
parts and numbered 1 to 5 is
spun once. Find the probability
of the following:
a)the spin stops on either odd
number or even number
3 2
𝑃 ( 𝑜𝑑𝑑 𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 ) = +
5 5
5
𝑃 ( 𝑜𝑑𝑑 𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 ) = =1
5
Illustrative Example 7:
A spinner divided into 5 equal
parts and numbered 1 to 5 is
spun once. Find the probability
of the following:
b) the spin stops on even
number or prime number
2 4 2
𝑃 ( 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒 ) = + −
5 5 5
4
𝑃 ( 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒 ) =
5
Illustrative Example 8:

The probabilities of three teams, A , B, and C

winning a volleyball competition are , , and
respectively. Assuming only one team can win,
calculate the probability that;

a)either A or B wins
b)neither A nor C wins
Illustrative Example 8:
The probabilities of three teams, A , B, and C
winning a volleyball competition are , , and
respectively. Assuming only one team can win,
calculate the probability that;
a)either A or B wins
3 1 1
¿
𝑃 ( 𝐴 𝑜𝑟 𝐵 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑠)= +
8 4 8
Illustrative Example 8:
The probabilities of three teams, A , B, and C
winning a volleyball competition are , , and
respectively. Assuming only one team can win,
calculate the probability that;
b) neither A nor C wins
131 1
¿
𝑃 ( 𝑛𝑒𝑖𝑡h𝑒𝑟 𝐴 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝑐 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑠 ) =1− +
204 10
If there is a 30% chance of rain on Saturday,
a 70% chance of rain on Sunday, and a 21%
chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday, what is
the probability that it will rain on either
Saturday or Sunday?
𝑃 ( 𝑆𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑟 𝑆𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑦 ) =30 % +70 % − 21 %
𝑃 ( 𝑆𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑟 𝑆𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑦 ) =79 %
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) an even number or divisible by 3?
d) a number divisible by 3 or divisible by 4?
e) an odd or prime number?
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?
1 1 2
𝑃 ( 7 𝑜𝑟 15 ) = + =
15 15 15
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
b) 5 or a number divisible by 3?
𝑃 ( 5 𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑦 3 )= 𝑃 ( 5 )+ 𝑃 ( 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑦 3 )
1 5 6
𝑃 ( 5 𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑦 3 )= + =
15 15 15
2
𝑃 ( 5 𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑦 3 ) =
5
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
c) an even number or divisible by 3?
)
7 5 2 10
𝑃 ( 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑦 3 )= + − =
15 15 10 15
2
𝑃 ( 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑦 3 ) =
3
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
d) a number divisible by 3 or divisible by 4?
𝑃 ¿

5 3 1
𝑃 ( 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑦 3 𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑦 4 )= + −
15 15 15
7
𝑃 ( 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑦 3 𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑦 4 )=
15