CHAPTER 1 1

Practice exercise from Chapter 1.

1. Determine the probability p, or an estimate of it, for each of the following events:

(a) A king, ace, jack of clubs, or queen of diamonds appears in drawing a single card

from a well-shuffled ordinary deck of cards.

(b) The sum 8 appears in a single toss of a pair of fair dice.

(c) A nondefective bolt will be found next if out of 600 bolts already examined, 12

were defective.

(d) A 7 or 11 comes up in a single toss of a pair of fair dice.

(e) At least 1 head appears in 3 tosses of a fair coin.

2. An experiment consists of drawing 3 cards in succession from a well-shuffled

ordinary deck of cards. Let A1 be the event “king on first draw,” A2 the event “king

on second draw,” and A3 the event “king on third draw.” State in words the meaning

of each of the following:

(a) P(A1 ∩ A2 ), (b) P(A1 ∪ A2),P( A1 ∪ A 2),P( A1 ∩ A 2 ∩ A 3),(e) P[( A1 ∩ A 2) ∪ ( A2 ∩ A 3

)]

3. A marble is drawn at random from a box containing 10 red, 30 white, 20 blue, and 15

orange marbles. Find the probability that it is (a) orange or red, (b) not red or blue,

(c) not blue, (d) white, (e) red, white, or blue.

4. Two marbles are drawn in succession from the box of Problem 1.49, replacement

being made after each drawing. Find the probability that (a) both are white, (b) the

first is red and the second is white, (c) neither is orange, (d) they are either red or

white or both (red and white), (e) the second is not blue, (f) the first is orange,

(g) at least one is blue, (h) at most one is red, (i) the first is white but the second is

not, (j) only one is red.

5. A box contains 2 red and 3 blue marbles. Find the probability that if two marbles are

drawn at random (without replacement), (a) both are blue, (b) both are red, (c) one is

red and one is blue.

6. Find the probability of drawing 3 aces at random from a deck of 52 ordinary cards if

the cards are replaced, (b) not replaced.

7. If at least one child in a family with 2 children is a boy, what is the probability that

both children are boys?

8. Box I contains 3 red and 5 white balls, while Box II contains 4 red and 2 white balls. A

ball is chosen at random from the first box and placed in the second box without

observing its color. Then a ball is drawn from the second box. Find the probability

that it is white.

9. A box contains 3 blue and 2 red marbles while another box contains 2 blue and 5 red

marbles. A marble drawn at random from one of the boxes turns out to be blue.

What is the probability that it came from the first box?

10. Each of three identical jewelry boxes has two drawers. In each drawer of the first box

there is a gold watch. In each drawer of the second box there is a silver watch. In one

drawer of the third box there is a gold watch while in the other there is a silver

watch. If we select a box at random, open one of the drawers and find it to contain a

silver watch, what is the probability that the other drawer has the gold watch?

11. Urn I has 2 white and 3 black balls; Urn II, 4 white and 1 black; and Urn III, 3 white

and 4 black. An urn is selected at random and a ball drawn at random is found to be

white. Find the probability that Urn I was selected.

12. A coin is tossed 3 times. Use a tree diagram to determine the various possibilities that

can arise.

13. Three cards are drawn at random (without replacement) from an ordinary deck of 52

cards. Find the number of ways in which one can draw (a) a diamond and a club and

a heart in succession, (b) two hearts and then a club or a spade.

14. In how many ways can 3 different coins be placed in 2 different purses?

15. Evaluate (a) 4 P2, (b) 7 P5, (c) 10 P3.

16. For what value of n is n+1 P3 = n P4?

17. In how many ways can 5 people be seated on a sofa if there are only 3 seats

available?

18. In how many ways can 7 books be arranged on a shelf if (a) any arrangement is

possible, (b) 3 particular books must always stand together, (c) two particular books

must occupy the ends?

19. How many numbers consisting of five different digits each can be made from the

digits 1, 2, 3, . . . , 9 if the numbers must be odd, (b) the first two digits of each

number are even?

20. How many different three-digit numbers can be made with 3 fours, 4 twos, and 2

threes?

21. In how many ways can 3 men and 3 women be seated at a round table if (a) no

restriction is imposed, (b) 2 particular women must not sit together, (c) each woman

is to be between 2 men?

22. Evaluate (a) 5C3, (b) 8C4, (c) 10C8.

23. For what value of n is 3? n+1C3 = 7? nC2?

24. In how many ways can 6 questions be selected out of 10?

25. How many different committees of 3 men and 4 women can be formed from 8 men

and 6 women?

26. In how many ways can 2 men, 4 women, 3 boys, and 3 girls be selected from 6 men, 8

women, 4 boys and 5 girls if (a) no restrictions are imposed, (b) a particular man and

woman must be selected?

27. In how many ways can a group of 10 people be divided into (a) two groups

consisting of 7 and 3 people, (b) three groups consisting of 5, 3, and 2 people?

28. From 5 statisticians and 6 economists, a committee consisting of 3 statisticians and 2

economists is to be formed. How many different committees can be formed if (a) no

restrictions are imposed, (b) 2 particular statisticians must be on the committee, (c) 1

particular economist cannot be on the committee?

29. Find the number of (a) combinations and (b) permutations of 4 letters each that can

be made from the letters of the word Tennessee.

30. Calculate (a) 6C3, (b) (114 ) (c) ( C )( C )/ C .

5 4
31. Expand ( a )( x + y )6 , ( b )( x− y )4 , ( c ) ( x−x−1 ) , ( d ) ( x 2 +2 ) .

( )
9
2
32. Find the coefficient of x in x + .
x
33. Find the probability of scoring a total of 7 points (a) once, (b) at least once, (c) twice,

in 2 tosses of a pair of fair dice.

34. Two cards are drawn successively from an ordinary deck of 52 well-shuffled cards.

Find the probability that the first card is not a ten of clubs or an ace; (b) the first card

is an ace but the second is not; (c) at least one card is a diamond; (d) the cards are not

of the same suit; (e) not more than 1 card is a picture card ( jack, queen, king); (f ) the
CHAPTER 1 4

second card is not a picture card; (g) the second card is not a picture card given that

the first was a picture card; (h) the cards are picture cards or spades or both.

35. A box contains 9 tickets numbered from 1 to 9, inclusive. If 3 tickets are drawn from

the box 1 at a time, find the probability that they are alternately either odd, even, odd

or even, odd, even.

36. The odds in favor of A winning a game of chess against B are 3:2. If 3 games are to be

played, what are the odds (a) in favor of A winning at least 2 games out of the 3, (b)

against A losing the first 2 games to B?

37. In the game of bridge, each of 4 players is dealt 13 cards from an ordinary well-

shuffled deck of 52 cards. Find the probability that one of the players (say, the eldest)

gets (a) 7 diamonds, 2 clubs, 3 hearts, and 1 spade; (b) a complete suit.

38. An urn contains 6 red and 8 blue marbles. Five marbles are drawn at random from it

without replacement. Find the probability that 3 are red and 2 are blue.

39. (a) Find the probability of getting the sum 7 on at least 1 of 3 tosses of a pair of fair

dice, (b) How many tosses are needed in order that the probability in (a) be greater

than 0.95?

40. Three cards are drawn from an ordinary deck of 52 cards. Find the probability that

(a) all cards are of one suit, (b) at least 2 aces are drawn.

41. Find the probability that a bridge player is given 13 cards of which 9 cards are of one

suit.