Probability of drawing a 10 on the 4th ball?

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In summary, the question is asking for the probability that the fourth ball drawn from an urn containing 10 balls with numbers 1-10 will have the number 10, given that it is larger than the previous three balls drawn. The suggested solution involves using conditional probability and Bayes' Theorem. The probability of the fourth ball having a number larger than the previous three is calculated as 3!/10! and the probability of the fourth ball having a specific number (5-10) is unknown.
  • #1
Yankel
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Hello, I have this question, I need some help with it.

In an urn there are 10 balls marked with the numbers 1-10.
4 balls are being chosen randomly without replacement.
It is known that on the 4th ball that was taken out, there was a number which was larger than the number on any of the previous 3 balls taken.
What is the probability that on the 4th ball the number was 10 ?

I thought of conditional probability, the intersection should be in my opinion:

(9/10)*(8/9)*(7/8)*(1/7)

I am not sure it's right and anyway I don't know what to do with the probability of the 4th being larger than the other 3...

thanks !
 
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  • #2
Hello, Yankel!

This is Conditional Probability.
Are you familiar with Bayes' Theorem? .$P(A\,|\,B) \;=\;\dfrac{P(A \wedge B)}{P(B)}$
If not, it is useless to solve the problem for you.
In an urn there are 10 balls marked with the numbers 1 - 10.
4 balls are being chosen randomly without replacement.
It is known that the 4th ball had a number larger than the number on any of the previous 3 balls.
What is the probability that on the 4th ball the number was 10 ?
 
  • #3
Yankel said:
In an urn there are 10 balls marked with the numbers 1-10.
4 balls are being chosen randomly without replacement.
It is known that on the 4th ball that was taken out, there was a number which was larger than the number on any of the previous 3 balls taken.
What is the probability that on the 4th ball the number was 10 ?
Let us suppose that $K$ is the value of the fourth ball that is greater than any of the first three drawn. Clearly $K=4,~5,\cdots,10$.
It should be clear that $\mathcal{P}(K=4)=\dfrac{3!\cdot 6!}{10!}$. Yes or NO?

What is $\mathcal{P}(K=n)$ for $n=5,~6,\cdots,10~?$
 
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FAQ: Probability of drawing a 10 on the 4th ball?

What is an urn?

An urn is a container typically used for holding ashes of the deceased, but in this context, it is a container that holds a finite number of balls for the purpose of conducting an experiment or simulation.

How does the ball drawing from an urn work?

In a ball drawing experiment, an urn is filled with a fixed number of balls, each with a unique label or number. The balls are then drawn at random from the urn, either with or without replacement, to simulate a random selection process.

What is the purpose of conducting a ball drawing experiment?

The purpose of conducting a ball drawing experiment is to simulate a random selection process and collect data on the frequency of certain outcomes. This can be used to make predictions or draw conclusions about a larger population.

What is the difference between drawing with replacement and drawing without replacement?

Drawing with replacement means that the ball that is drawn is returned to the urn before another ball is drawn. This allows for the same ball to be selected multiple times. Drawing without replacement means that once a ball is drawn, it is not returned to the urn, resulting in a decreasing number of balls in the urn for each subsequent draw.

How does the number of balls in the urn affect the outcome of the experiment?

The number of balls in the urn can affect the outcome of the experiment by changing the probability of selecting certain balls. The more balls in the urn, the more likely it is to draw a specific ball, while fewer balls in the urn may result in a wider range of outcomes.

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