/*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} Q.3.58 Suppose that we want to generate... [FREE SOLUTION] | 91影视

91影视

Suppose that we want to generate the outcome of the flip of a fair coin, but that all we have at our disposal is a biased coin that lands on heads with some unknown probability p that need not be equal to 1 2 . Consider the following procedure for accomplishing our task: 1. Flip the coin. 2. Flip the coin again. 3. If both flips land on heads or both land on tails, return to step 1. 4. Let the result of the last flip be the result of the experiment.

(a) Show that the result is equally likely to be either heads or tails.

(b) Could we use a simpler procedure that continues to flip the coin until the last two flips are different and then lets the result be the outcome of the final flip?

Short Answer

Expert verified
  1. The probability to get either head or tail is 12
  2. The result will bepand1-p

Step by step solution

01

Given Information (Part a)

From the information, we want to generate the outcome of the flip of a fair coin, but that all we have at our disposal is a biased coin that lands on heads with some unknown probability p that need not be equal to 1 2 .

We need to consider the following procedure: 1. Flip the coin. 2. Flip the coin again. 3. If both flips land on heads or both land on tails, return to step 1. 4.

We have to show that the result is equally likely to be either heads or tails.

02

Explanation (Part a)

Lets consider the flipping procedure.

From this formulation we can see that the outcomes of our procedure follow a conditional distribution:

P{the procedure gives H}=P{(T,H)|(T,H)or(H,T)}

=P{(T,H)}P{(T,H)or(H,T)}

=(1-p)p[(1-p)p+p(1-p)]

role="math" localid="1647080421100" =12

Similarly, the procedure gives tails with probability 12

03

Final Answer (Part a)

The probability to get either head or tail is12.

04

Given Information (Part b)

From the information, we want to generate the outcome of the flip of a fair coin, but that all we have at our disposal is a biased coin that lands on heads with some unknown probability p that need not be equal to 1 2 .

We need to consider the following procedure: 1. Flip the coin. 2. Flip the coin again. 3. If both flips land on heads or both land on tails, return to step 1. 4.

We have to determine could we use a simpler procedure that continues to flip the coin until the last two flips are different and then lets the result be the outcome of the final flip.

05

Explanation (Part b)

For any 0<p<1, we will surely find both heads and tails eventually.

Thus method (b) gives Hif and only if the first flip comes out T, which happens with probability 1-p.

The method gives Tif and only if the first flip is H, this happens with probability p.

Hence method (b) does not give fair coin flip results.

The difficulty in this problem is figuring out why our arguments in (a) do not work in the case of method (b).

In the above formulation of (a) we consider a fixed pair of coin flips (the first two flips), while in method (b) we take a randomly selected pair of coin flips, those where we first see a change in the outcomes.

This innocent-looking difference essentially modifies the probabilities of the outcomes (H,T)and(T,H). Our arguments in (a), applied on case (b), would look like this:

P{the procedure givesH}=P{(T,H)(T,H)or(H,T)}

=P{(T,H)}P{(T,H)or(H,T)}

=(1-p)[(1-p)+p]

=1-p

Similarly, the probability of outcomeTisp

06

Final Answer (Part b)

Tails is the result if and only if the first throw is heads,

then the first different result is tails.

Therefore,

P(tails)=p

P(heads)=1p

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 91影视!

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

Consider a sample of size 3drawn in the following manner: We start with an urn containing 5white and 7red balls. At each stage, a ball is drawn and its color is noted. The ball is then returned to the urn, along with an additional ball of the same color. Find the probability that the sample will contain exactly

(a) 0white balls;

(b) 1white ball;

(c) 3white balls;

(d) 2white balls.

Each of 2 cabinets identical in appearance has 2 drawers. Cabinet A contains a silver coin in each drawer, and cabinet B contains a silver coin in one of its drawers and a gold coin in the other. A cabinet is randomly selected, one of its drawers is opened, and a silver coin is found. What is the probability that there is a silver coin in the other drawer?

Prove that if E1,E2,,Enare independent events, then

PE1E2En=1-i=1n1-PEi

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in males. As an indicator of whether a male has prostate cancer, doctors often perform a test that measures the level of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) that is produced only by the prostate gland. Although PSA levels are indicative of cancer, the test is notoriously unreliable. Indeed, the probability that a noncancerous man will have an elevated PSA level is approximately .135, increasing to approximately .268 if the man does have cancer. If, on the basis of other factors, a physician is 70 percent certain that a male has prostate cancer, what is the conditional probability that he has the cancer given that

(a) the test indicated an elevated PSA level?

(b) the test did not indicate an elevated PSA level?

Repeat the preceding calculation, this time assuming that the physician initially believes that there is a 30 percent chance that the man has prostate cancer.

If you had to construct a mathematical model for events E and F, as described in parts (a) through (e), would you assume that they were independent events? Explain your reasoning.

(a) E is the event that a businesswoman has blue eyes, and F is the event that her secretary has blue eyes.

(b) E is the event that a professor owns a car, and F is the event that he is listed in the telephone book.

(c) E is the event that a man is under 6 feet tall, and F is the event that he weighs more than 200 pounds.

(d) E is the event that a woman lives in the United States, and F is the event that she lives in the Western Hemisphere.

(e) E is the event that it will rain tomorrow, and F is the event that it will rain the day after tomorrow.

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.