ECB3133 Probability and Random Process (May 2014)

Tutorial Week 2
1.

Given the following sample space, S = {E1,E2,E3,E4,E5,E6,E7,E8,E9}.The following events

are defined on this sample space as:
EA: {E1,E3,E5,E7,E9}
EC: {E1,E2}
EB: {E2,E4,E6,E8,}
ED: {E7,E8, E9}
Find the following
a ) P(E1)
b ) P(EA)
c ) P(EB)
d ) P(EC)
e ) P(ED)

f ) P(EA EB)

g ) P(EA EC)

h ) P(EB EC)

i ) P(EA EB) - Are the two sets

mutually exclusive?

j ) P(EA ED) - Are the two sets

mutually exclusive?

k ) P(EB ED) - Are the two sets

mutually exclusive?

l ) P(EA EB) - Are the two sets

independent?
m ) P(EC EA) - Are the two sets
independent?
n ) P(ED EC) - Are the two sets
independent?

ECB3133 Probability and Random Process (May 2014)

2. A random experiment has sample space S = {a,b,c}. Suppose that P[{a,c}] = 5/8 and
P[{b,c}] = 7/8. Use the basic laws of probability to find the probabilities of the simple
events.

3. Simons Surplus Bundle has large barrels of mixed electronic components (parts) that you
can buy by the handful or by the pound. You are not allowed to select parts individually.
Based on your previous experience, you have determined that in one barrel, 29% of the
parts are bad (faulted), 3% are bad resistors, 12% are good resistors, 5% are bad
capacitors and 32% are diodes. You decide to assign probabilities based on these
percentages.
a) What is the probability that a component is a resistor (either good or bad)?
b) Assume you have no use for either defective parts or resistors. What is the probability
that a part is either defective or a resistor? What is the probability that a part is useful
to you?
c) What is the probability of a bad diode?

4. A number x is selected at random in the interval [-1,1]. Let the events A = {x< 0},

B = {|x-0.5|<1} and C = {x>0.75}.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

a) Find the probabilities of B, A B and A C.

b) Find the probabilities of AB, A C and A B C.

A die is tossed 12 times. How many distinct sequences of faces (numbers from
{1,2,3,4,5,6}) have each number appearing exactly twice? Assuming equal probability for
each possible outcome, what is the probability of obtaining such a sequence?

A combination to a lock is given by three numbers from the set {0, 1, 2, 3, 4,.., 59}.
Find the number of combinations possible.

How many seven-digit telephone numbers are possible if the first number is not allowed
to be 0 or 1?

A batch of 50 resistors contains 10 defective units. Suppose 10 resistors are selected at

random and tested. What is the probability that exactly 5 of the resistors are defective?

CDs selected from the bins at Simons Surplus are as likely to be good as to be bad. If
three CDs are selected independently and at random,
a) What is the probability of getting exactly three good CDs?
b) What is the probability of getting exactly two good CDs?
c) What is the probability of one good CD?
d) Repeat (a) (c) if the probability of selecting a good CD is increased to 5/8.

ECB3133 Probability and Random Process (May 2014)

10. An IT technician has a cable of 4 twisted pairs running from each of four offices to the
service closet; but he has forgotten which pair goes to which office. If he connects one
pair to each of four telephone lines arbitrarily, what is the probability that he will get it
right on the first try?

Answers to Tutorial Week 2

1. Assuming equal probability for each outcome;

a)
P(E1) = 1/9
b)
P(EA) = 5/9
c ) P(EB) = 4/9
d ) P(EC) = 2/9
e)
P(ED) = 1/3

f)
P(EA EB) = 1

g)
P(EA EC) = 2/3

h)
P(EB EC) = 5/9

i)
P(EA EB) = 0, mutually exclusive

j ) P(EA ED) = 2/9, mutually exclusive

k ) P(EB ED) = 1/9, mutually exclusive

l ) P(EA | EB) = 0, not independent
m )P(EC | EA) = 1/5, not independent

ECB3133 Probability and Random Process (May 2014)

n ) P(ED | EC) = 0, not independent


2.

P [{a}] = 1/8; P [{b}] = 3/8; P [{c}] =

a) P (R) = 0.15

b) P (R F) = 0.41; P ([R F]) = 0.59

3.

c) P (FD) = 0.21

a) P (B) = ; P (AB) = and P (A C) = 0

4.

b) P (AB) = 1; P (A C) = 5/8 and P (A B C) = 1

Total possible outcome, n(S) = 612

Number of combination of each number appearing twice = 7,484,000
P (each number appearing twice) = 0.0034

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Number of combinations = 603 = 216,000

10.

P (getting 4 cables connected right on first try) = 1/24

Number of combinations = 6.4 x 106

P (selecting 5 defective resistors) = 0.016
a) P (exactly 3 good CDs) = 1/8

b) P (exactly 3 good CDs) = 3/8

c) P (1good CD) = 3/8
d) (i) P (exactly 3 good CDs) = 125/512, (ii) P (exactly 2 good CDs) = 225/512

(iii) P (1 good CD) = 135/512