Question

Determine if events A and B are mutually exclusive.

Answer 1

Answer:

A) Not mutually exclusive

Step-by-step explanation:

Given

$P(A) = \frac{1}{4}$

$P(B) = \frac{3}{5}$

$P(A\ or\ B) = \frac{7}{10}$

Required

Determine if they are mutually exclusive or not

Mutually exclusive are defined by:

$P(A\ or\ B) = P(A) + P(B)$

So, we have:

$P(A\ or\ B) = \frac{1}{4} + \frac{3}{5}$

Take LCM

$P(A\ or\ B) = \frac{5+12}{20}$

$P(A\ or\ B) = \frac{17}{20}$

By comparing:

$P(A\ or\ B) = \frac{17}{20}$ ---- Calculated

$P(A\ or\ B) = \frac{7}{10}$ ---- Given

We can conclude that A and B are not mutually exclusive because:

$\frac{17}{20} \ne \frac{7}{10}$