Probability question regarding independence

In summary, screws supplied to a factory are 90% defective, 9% contain 10% defective, and 1% contain 100% defective.
  • #1
Usagi
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A supplier sends boxes of screws to a factory: 90% of the boxes contain 1% defective, 9% contain 10% defective, and 1% contain 100% defective (eg wrong size).

i) What percentage of screws supplied are defective?

ii) Two screws are chosen from a randomly selected box. What is the probability that both are defective?

iii) Given that both are defective, what is the probability that the box is 100% defective?

I have attempted all 3 parts but I am unsure if my working is correct, would someone be kind enough to verify my working/reasoning? Thank you.

i) Let D be the event that the screws supplied are defective. Let $A_1$ be the event that the box containing 1% defective was sent to the factory. Likewise, let $A_2$ and $A_3$ be the event that the box containing 10% and 100% defective, respectively, that was sent to the factory.

Thus using the total probability theorem we have:

$P(D) = P(A_1)P(D|A_1) + P(A_2)P(D|A_2)+P(A_3)P(D|A_3) = (0.9)(0.01)+0.09(0.1)+0.01(1) = 0.028$

ii) Let Z be the event that two screws are both defective and let $D_i$ be the event that the ith screw is defective from a random box. Thus using the total probability theorem again we have:

$P(Z) = P(A_1)P(Z|A_1)+P(A_2)P(Z|A_2) + P(A_3)P(Z|A_3) = P(A_1)P(D_1 \cap D_2|A_1) + P(A_2)P(D_1 \cap D_2|A_2) + P(A_3)P(D_1 \cap D_2|A_3)$

$= P(A_1)P(D_1|A_1)P(D_2|A_1) + P(A_2)P(D_1|A_2)P(D_2|A_2) + P(A_3)P(D_1|A_3)P(D_2|A_3)$ because we can assume $D_1$ and $D_2$ are conditionally independent of $A_i$'s.

$=0.01(0.01)^2+0.09(0.1)^2+0.01(1)^2 = 0.010901$

iii) We need to find $P(A_3|Z) = \frac{P(A_3)P(Z|A_3)}{P(Z)} = \frac{0.01(1)}{0.010901}$

Any help is greatly appreciated!
 
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  • #2
Usagi said:
A supplier sends boxes of screws to a factory: 90% of the boxes contain 1% defective, 9% contain 10% defective, and 1% contain 100% defective (eg wrong size).

i) What percentage of screws supplied are defective?

ii) Two screws are chosen from a randomly selected box. What is the probability that both are defective?

iii) Given that both are defective, what is the probability that the box is 100% defective?

I have attempted all 3 parts but I am unsure if my working is correct, would someone be kind enough to verify my working/reasoning? Thank you.

i) Let D be the event that the screws supplied are defective. Let $A_1$ be the event that the box containing 1% defective was sent to the factory. Likewise, let $A_2$ and $A_3$ be the event that the box containing 10% and 100% defective, respectively, that was sent to the factory.

Thus using the total probability theorem we have:

$P(D) = P(A_1)P(D|A_1) + P(A_2)P(D|A_2)+P(A_3)P(D|A_3) = (0.9)(0.01)+0.09(0.1)+0.01(1) = 0.028$

ii) Let Z be the event that two screws are both defective and let $D_i$ be the event that the ith screw is defective from a random box. Thus using the total probability theorem again we have:

$P(Z) = P(A_1)P(Z|A_1)+P(A_2)P(Z|A_2) + P(A_3)P(Z|A_3) = P(A_1)P(D_1 \cap D_2|A_1) + P(A_2)P(D_1 \cap D_2|A_2) + P(A_3)P(D_1 \cap D_2|A_3)$

$= P(A_1)P(D_1|A_1)P(D_2|A_1) + P(A_2)P(D_1|A_2)P(D_2|A_2) + P(A_3)P(D_1|A_3)P(D_2|A_3)$ because we can assume $D_1$ and $D_2$ are conditionally independent of $A_i$'s.

$=0.01(0.01)^2+0.09(0.1)^2+0.01(1)^2 = 0.010901$

iii) We need to find $P(A_3|Z) = \frac{P(A_3)P(Z|A_3)}{P(Z)} = \frac{0.01(1)}{0.010901}$

Any help is greatly appreciated!

For part ii you should have: \(0.9(0.01)^2 + 0.09(0.1)^2+0.01(1)^2\)CB
 
  • #3
Oh yes, silly me, typo'ed.

Thanks for the confirmation :)
 

FAQ: Probability question regarding independence

What is independence in probability?

Independence in probability refers to the relationship between two or more events where the occurrence of one event does not affect the probability of the other event happening. In other words, the outcome of one event has no influence on the outcome of the other event.

How is independence determined in probability?

Independence in probability is determined by calculating the conditional probabilities of the events. If the conditional probability of one event given the occurrence of another event is equal to the unconditional probability of the first event, then the events are considered independent.

What is the difference between independent and dependent events in probability?

Independent events have no influence on each other's probability of occurring, while dependent events do. In other words, the outcome of one event affects the probability of the other event happening in dependent events, but not in independent events.

How does independence affect the calculation of probabilities?

In the case of independent events, the probability of both events occurring is calculated by multiplying the individual probabilities of each event. However, in the case of dependent events, the probability is calculated by taking into account the occurrence of the first event when calculating the probability of the second event.

Can events be both independent and dependent?

No, events are either independent or dependent. It is not possible for an event to have no influence on another event's probability of occurring and also have an influence on it at the same time.

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