Given 20 people, what is the probability that among the 12 months in the year, there are 4 months containing exactly 2 birthdays and 4 containing exactly 3 birthdays?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The probability that the months of birth are grouped in 4 pairs and 4 triplets is0.106%.

Step by step solution

01

Given Information

20 people are in the room:

Outcome space of the experiment is Sx1,x2,x3,x20:xi{1,2,3,12} where the vector describes their months of birth.

02

Explanation

|S|=1220 because each element of the n valued vector can be chosen in 12 ways.

As each outcome from the outcome space is equally likely, the Axioms give:

ASP(A)=|A||S|

(|X| is the number of elements in the set X )

03

Explanation

Probability that the months of birth are grouped in 4pairs and 4triplets?

Let's calculate the number of sample events where this event happens.

Firstly permute 20elements from which 4pairs are equivalent, and 4threes. This corresponds to every different order of months in the vector

202,2,2,2,3,3,3,3

This already permuted the months with precisely two birthdays, and those with precisely three birthdays. Now the only thing left is to choose 8out of 12months 128ways, and count the partitions of those 8months to the ones that have 3birthdays, and those with two, and this is 84. This leaves us with:

localid="1650015410942" 202,2,2,2,3,3,3,3×128×84=20!2!4·3!4×12!8!4!8!4!4!P(X)=20!·12!2!4·3!4·(4!)31220=0.0010604

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