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In a certain community, 36 percent of the families own a dog and 22 percent of the families that own a dog also own a cat. In addition, 30 percent of the families own a cat. What is (a) the probability that a randomly selected family owns both a dog and a cat? (b) the conditional probability that a randomly selected family owns a dog given that it owns a cat?

Short Answer

Expert verified
(a) The probability that a randomly selected family owns both a dog and a cat is 0.0792 or 7.92%. (b) The conditional probability that a randomly selected family owns a dog given that it owns a cat is 0.264 or 26.4%.

Step by step solution

01

(Step 1: Finding the joint probability of owning a dog and a cat)

The problem states that 22 percent of the families that own a dog also own a cat. Since 36 percent of the families own a dog, we can find the joint probability of owning a dog and a cat by multiplying the percentage of families that own a dog by the percentage of dog owners who also own a cat: Joint probability = \(0.36 * 0.22 = 0.0792\) So, 7.92 percent of the families own both a dog and a cat.
02

(Step 1a: Answer for part (a))

The probability that a randomly selected family owns both a dog and a cat is equal to the joint probability we just found, which is: P(A and B) = 0.0792 (a) Answer: The probability that a randomly selected family owns both a dog and a cat is 0.0792 or 7.92%.
03

(Step 2: Finding the conditional probability of owning a dog given the family owns a cat)

To find the conditional probability of owning a dog given the family owns a cat, we will use the formula for conditional probability: P(Dog | Cat) = \(\frac{P(Dog \cap Cat)}{P(Cat)}\) We already found the joint probability P(Dog and Cat) and we know that 30 percent of the families own a cat. So, we can compute the conditional probability as: \(P(Dog | Cat) = \frac{0.0792}{0.30} = 0.264\)
04

(Step 2a: Answer for part (b))

The conditional probability that a randomly selected family owns a dog given that it owns a cat is: P(Dog | Cat) = 0.264 (b) Answer: The conditional probability that a randomly selected family owns a dog given that it owns a cat is 0.264 or 26.4%.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Joint Probability
Understanding joint probability is a foundational aspect of probability theory. It refers to a measure of two events occurring at the same time. In our exercise, we calculate the joint probability of a family owning both a dog and a cat. This is done by multiplying the individual probabilities of the two independent events—owning a dog and owning a cat given that the family owns a dog. It's essential to realize that calculating joint probability is only this straightforward when the events are independent, meaning the occurrence of one does not affect the occurrence of the other. In context, the joint probability helped us answer part (a) of the exercise by revealing that 7.92% of all families own both a dog and a cat.
Probability Theory
Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with the analysis of random phenomena. The central objects of probability theory are random variables, stochastic processes, and events: mathematical abstractions of non-deterministic events or measured quantities that may either occur single or evolve over time in an apparently random fashion. In the exercise, we delve into this fascinating area by looking at how likely certain events are—such as a family owning a pet. Probability theory employs various formulas, including those used for joint and conditional probabilities, to quantify the likelihood of events and to make informed predictions based on statistical data. Grasping the basic principles of probability theory enables students to solve complex real-world problems that involve uncertainty and variability.
Conditional Probability Formula
Conditional probability is the likelihood of an event occurring given that another event has already occurred. The conditional probability formula is elegantly simple but immensely powerful: \(P(A|B) = \frac{P(A \cap B)}{P(B)}\), where \(P(A|B)\) represents the probability of event A occurring given that B is true. In the exercise, we used this formula to determine the probability of a family owning a dog given they own a cat—illustrating it with real numbers to answer part (b) of the problem. One crucial point to remember is that conditional probability can profoundly change our expectations regarding the occurrence of an event, as it incorporates additional information that might not be considered in a simple probability calculation. It's a vital concept for students to understand, as it's widely used in various fields, from risk assessment to machine learning algorithms.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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