Probability
CBSE · Class 11 · Applied Mathematics
NCERT Solutions for Probability — CBSE Class 11 Applied Mathematics.
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1Write down an experiment in practical life whose sample space is Show solution
Concept: The sample space lists all possible outcomes of a random experiment.
Answer: Observing the number of people who voted in a constituency is one such experiment. The number of voters can be 0, 1, 2, 3, … (any non-negative integer), so the sample space is .
Other valid examples: number of calls received at a call centre in a day, number of accidents on a highway in a week, etc.
2Suppose 3 bulbs are selected at random from a lot of bulbs. Each bulb is tested and classified as defective (D) or non-defective (N). Write the sample space of this experiment.Show solution
Concept: The sample space is the set of all possible ordered outcomes when each of the 3 bulbs is tested.
Working: Each bulb has 2 possible outcomes (D or N), so the total number of outcomes = .
Listing all outcomes systematically:
Answer: The sample space has 8 elements as listed above.
Check your Progress - 2
1Give a real life example of Independent Events and Dependent Events.Show solution
Let:
- = Event that a person has black hair
- = Event that a person works in an MNC
The occurrence of does not affect the probability of and vice versa. Hence and are independent events.
Dependent Events:
Let:
- = Event of heavy traffic on a road
- = Event of a road accident
Heavy traffic increases the likelihood of an accident, so depends on . Hence and are dependent events.
2Give a real life example of Impossible and Sure Events.Show solution
Sure Event: Getting a sum of numbers when a pair of dice is rolled. Since the maximum sum is , this always happens. Its probability is 1, making it a sure event.
3Give a real life example of Exhaustive Events.Show solution
- = Getting a Head
- = Getting a Tail
(the entire sample space), so and together cover all possible outcomes. Hence and are exhaustive events.
4Give a real life example of Mutually Exclusive Events.Show solution
- = The person is running forward
- = The person is running backward
A person cannot run forward and backward at the same time, so . Hence and are mutually exclusive events.
Bonus — Mutually Exclusive and Exhaustive Events: When a die is thrown once:
- = Getting an even number
- = Getting an odd number
(mutually exclusive) and (exhaustive).
Check your Progress - 3
1In a group of 100 sports car buyers, 40 bought alarm systems, 30 purchased bucket seats, and 20 purchased an alarm system and bucket seats. If a car buyer chosen at random bought an alarm system, what is the probability they also bought bucket seats?Show solution
- Total buyers = 100
- Buyers who bought alarm system:
- Buyers who bought bucket seats:
- Buyers who bought both:
Formula (Conditional Probability):
Calculation:
Answer: The probability that a buyer also bought bucket seats, given they purchased an alarm system, is or 50%.
2From the given data, find out the probability that a randomly selected person is male, given that he owns a pet.
| | Have pets | Do not have pets | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 0.41 | 0.08 | 0.49 |
| Female | 0.45 | 0.06 | 0.51 |
| Total | 0.86 | 0.14 | 1 |Show solution
- Let = event that the person is male
- Let = event that the person owns a pet
From the table:
Formula (Conditional Probability):
Calculation:
Answer: The probability that a randomly selected person is male, given that they own a pet, is approximately or 47.7%.
Check your Progress - 4
1It's given that 80% of people attend their family doctor regularly; 35% of these people have no health problems cropping up during the following year. Out of the 20% of people who don't see their doctor regularly, only 5% have no health issues during the following year. What is the probability a person selected at random will have no health problems in the following year?Show solution
- Let = event that a person sees the doctor regularly
- Let = event that a person has no health problems in the following year
Formula (Total Probability Theorem):
Calculation:
Answer: The probability that a randomly selected person will have no health problems in the following year is or 29%.
Exercise on Bayes' Theorem
1The number of loans sanctioned by a particular branch of a bank under different heads and the percentage of defaults in each category is given:
| Types of Loan | Number of Loans Approved | Defaults (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Loan | 15 | 3% |
| Education Loan | 5 | 1% |
| Housing Loan | 10 | 2% |
| Car Loan | 10 | 5% |
If the loan application form picked at random for review is found to be of a person who has defaulted, find the probability that the application was for a car loan.Show solution
Total loans =
Let:
- = Personal Loan, = Education Loan, = Housing Loan, = Car Loan
- = event that the selected person has defaulted
Prior Probabilities:
Likelihoods (default rates):
Total Probability of Default:
By Bayes' Theorem:
Answer: The probability that the defaulted application was for a car loan is .
2A courier service company sends 30% of its orders by air, 50% by combination of bus and local transport and remaining 20% by train. Past record shows the courier is delivered late 2%, 7% and 5% of the time when orders are sent by air, bus/local transport and train respectively. Find (i) the probability that the order will be delivered late, (ii) the probability that the parcel delivered to a customer is sent by train if it is delivered late.Show solution
Let = sent by air, = sent by bus/local, = sent by train, = delivered late.
(i) Total Probability of Late Delivery:
(ii) Probability that parcel was sent by train given it is late (Bayes' Theorem):
3A young entrepreneur imports high tech machines for a startup venture. The imported machines are to be set up by an expert. From experience it is known that 80% of the times the expert is able to correctly set up the machines. If the setup is correctly done the machine produces 90% acceptable items and in case of an incorrect set up the machine produces only 50% acceptable items. If after a certain set up the machine produces an acceptable item followed by an unacceptable item, find the probability that the machine is incorrectly set up.Show solution
Let = correct setup, = incorrect setup.
Let = event that the machine produces an acceptable item followed by an unacceptable item.
If setup is correct: ,
If setup is incorrect: ,
Total Probability:
By Bayes' Theorem:
Answer: The probability that the machine is incorrectly set up is .
4An insurance company insures scooter drivers, car drivers and bus drivers in the ratio 4:5:3. The probability of a scooter driver, car driver and bus driver meeting with an accident is 0.7%, 0.4% and 1.2% respectively. If an insured person meets with an accident, find the probability that the person is a scooter driver.Show solution
Let = scooter driver, = car driver, = bus driver insured.
Ratio = 4:5:3, so total parts = 12.
Let = event of meeting with an accident.
Total Probability:
By Bayes' Theorem:
Answer: The probability that the insured person who met with an accident is a scooter driver is .
5Two cards from a pack of 52 cards are lost. From the remaining cards of the pack a card is drawn at random and is found to be a spade. Find the probability that the lost cards are both spades.Show solution
A standard deck has 52 cards: 13 spades and 39 non-spades.
Let the events be:
- = both lost cards are non-spades
- = exactly one lost card is a spade
- = both lost cards are spades
- = the card drawn from remaining 50 cards is a spade
Prior Probabilities:
Likelihoods:
- If : 13 spades remain in 50 cards
- If : 12 spades remain in 50 cards
- If : 11 spades remain in 50 cards
Total Probability:
By Bayes' Theorem:
Answer: The probability that both lost cards are spades is approximately .
6A laboratory blood test is 99% effective in detecting a certain disease when it is in fact present. However, the test also yields a false positive result for 0.5% of the healthy persons tested. If 0.2% of the population actually has the disease, what is the probability that a person has the disease given that his test result is positive?Show solution
Let = person has the disease, = person does not have the disease, = test result is positive.
Total Probability of Positive Test:
By Bayes' Theorem:
Answer: The probability that a person has the disease given a positive test result is or about 28.4%.
Check your Progress - 5
1The manager of a car repair workshop knows from past experience that when a call is received from a person who is stuck far away and has a problem starting the car, the probabilities of various troubles are:
| Event | Trouble | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Battery problem | 0.4 |
| A2 | No petrol | 0.3 |
| A3 | Flooded | 0.1 |
| A4 | Some other reason | 0.2 |
(a) If a person follows the instructions given by the manager, what is the probability that the car starts?
(b) If the car starts on following the instructions of the manager, find the probability that the car had a battery problem.Show solution
(a) Probability that the car starts — Total Probability Theorem:
The probability that the car starts is 0.3.
(b) Probability that the car had a battery problem given it started — Bayes' Theorem:
The probability that the car had a battery problem, given it started, is 0.4.
2In a factory which manufactures bulbs, units A, B and C manufacture respectively 25%, 35% and 40% of the bulbs. Of their outputs, 5, 4 and 2 percent are respectively defective bulbs. A bulb is drawn at random from the product and is found to be defective. What is the probability that it is manufactured by unit B?Show solution
Let = events that the bulb is manufactured by units A, B, C respectively.
Let = event that the bulb is defective.
Total Probability of Defective Bulb:
By Bayes' Theorem:
Answer: The probability that the defective bulb was manufactured by unit B is .
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- CBSE Official — cbse.gov.in
- National Education Policy 2020 — education.gov.in
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