Probabilities are used to determine the chances of an event.
- The probability that the first contestant is a boy is 1/2
- The probability that the second contestant is a boy, if the first is a boy is 9/19
- The probabilities are not independent
The given parameters are:
<u>(a) Probability that first contestant is a boy</u>
This is calculated as:
This gives
<u>(b) Probability that the second contestant is a boy, if the first is a boy</u>
This is calculated as:
We subtracted 1, because the first contestant (a boy) is no longer part of the selection.
So, we have:
<u>(c) Independent probabilities</u>
The probabilities are not independent, because when a contestant is selected, the number of contestant is reduced by 1.
And this will affect the probability of the next selection.
Read more about probabilities at: