Suppose that P(A) = 0.42, P(B) = 0.38 and P(A U B) = 0.70. Are A and B mutually exclusive?

gaby131o

gaby131o

Answered question

2022-09-23

Suppose that P ( A ) = 0.42 ,   P ( B ) = 0.38 and P ( A B ) = 0.70. Are A and B mutually exclusive?
from what I gather, mutually exclusive events are those that are not dependent upon one another, correct? If that's the case then they are not mutually exclusive since P ( A ) + P ( B ) does not equal P ( A B ). If it was P ( A B ) = 0.80 only then it would have been considered mutually exclusive. Correct?

Answer & Explanation

Zackary Galloway

Zackary Galloway

Beginner2022-09-24Added 17 answers

No, mutually exclusive events are events that cannot occur simultaneously: they are disjoint. If A and B are disjoint, then P ( A B ) = P ( A ) + P ( B ) = 0.42 + 0.38 = 0.80. That’s not the case here, so A and B are not mutually exclusive.
Julia Chang

Julia Chang

Beginner2022-09-25Added 2 answers

A and B are mutually exclusive if P ( A B ) = 0.
Now for arbitrary A and B, P ( A B ) = P ( A ) + P ( B ) P ( A B ). This should give you what you need.

Do you have a similar question?

Recalculate according to your conditions!

New Questions in High school probability

Ask your question.
Get an expert answer.

Let our experts help you. Answer in as fast as 15 minutes.

Didn't find what you were looking for?