Fifty-two percent of the students at a certain college are females. Five percent of the students in this college are majoring in computer science. Two percent of the students are women majoring in computer science. If a student is selected at random, find the conditional probability that

(a) the student is female given that the student is majoring in computer science;

(b) this student is majoring in computer science given that the student is female

Short Answer

Expert verified

The conditional probability shows that,

a)40%

b)3.846%

Step by step solution

01

Given Information (part a)

The conditional probability that the student is female given that the student is majoring in computer science

02

Explanation (part a)

Considered events:

S - a person is a student in the college

C - a person is studying computer science

F - a person is female

Given conditional probabilities:

P(FS)=0.52PS(F)=0.52

P(CS)=0.05PS(C)=0.05

P(CFS)=0.02PS(CF)=0.02

Calculate:

a)PS(FC)=P(FCS)=?b)PS(CF)=P(CFS)=?

Note that conditional probability satisfies all axioms, so treat it like a probability.

Theses are obtained directly from the definition of conditional probability.

PS(FC)=PS(FC)PS(C)=0.020.05=0.4=40%

03

Step 3: Final Answer (part a)

The student is female given that the student is majoring in computer science is40%

04

Given Information (part b)

The conditional probability that this student is majoring in computer science given that the student is female.

05

Explanation (part b)

Note that conditional probability satisfies all axioms, so treat it like a probability.

PS(CF)=PS(FC)PS(F)=0.020.52=0.03846=3.846%
06

Final Answer (part b)

This student is majoring in computer science given that the student is female is 3.846%.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Math Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free