Q.If P(A)=116, P(B)=115 and P(A∪B)=117, find
🔒You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.
🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Conditional Probability
Conditional Probability
Roll a die and ask "what is the chance of an even number?" — that is 3/6. But suppose someone tells you the result is greater than 3. Now you are no longer looking at all six faces, only at {4,5,6}, and two of those (4 and 6) are even, so the probability becomes 2/3. That change — from the probability of A to the probability of A given that B has already occurred — is conditional probability.
The Idea: Shrink the Sample Space
Conditioning on B throws away every outcome where B is false and treats B as the new "whole world." You measure A only against what is still possible.
Think of filtering a table of data: unconditional probability uses every row; conditional probability keeps only the rows where the condition is true.
The Definition
For events A and B with P(B)>0,
P(A∣B)=P(B)P(A∩B).
We divide by P(B) to rescale so that B itself has probability 1; the surviving part of A is the overlap A∩B. Checking the die: P(A∩B)=P({4,6})=62 and P(B)=63, so P(A∣B)=3/62/6=32, matching the intuition.
Rearranging gives the multiplication rule P(A∩B)=P(A∣B)P(B), which is usually the easier way to compute a joint probability when a problem says "given that."
Two Cautions
- P(A∣B) and P(B∣A) are generally not equal; swapping them is the classic mistake. They are linked by Bayes' theorem, P(A∣B)=P(B)P(B∣A)P(A). …
Concept: Conditional Probability — the probability of one event given that another has occurred.
Step 1 – Find P(A∩B)
Using the addition theorem:
P(A∪B)=P(A)+P(B)−P(A∩B)
Substitute:
117=116+115−P(A∩B)
So:
P(A∩B)=116+115−117=114
Step 2 – Find P(A∣B)
P(A∣B)=P(B)P(A∩B)=5/114/11=54 …
Using the addition rule P(A∪B)=P(A)+P(B)−P(A∩B), we find P(A∩B)=114. Then conditional probabilities follow directly: P(A∣B)=54 and P(B∣A)=32.
The core idea here is conditional probability — the chance of one event happening given that another has already occurred. The formula is simple:
P(A∣B)=P(B)P(A∩B)
But to use it, we first need P(A∩B), the probability that both A and B occur. That’s where the addition rule comes in: it connects the union, the individual probabilities, and the intersection.
Let’s walk through it.
-
Find P(A∩B) using the addition rule
The addition rule for any two events is:
P(A∪B)=P(A)+P(B)−P(A∩B)
Plug in the given values:
117=116+115−P(A∩B)
Simplify the right side:
117=1111−P(A∩B)
So:
117=1−P(A∩B)
Rearranging:
P(A∩B)=1−117=114
A common mistake is to forget that P(A)+P(B) can exceed 1 — that’s fine, because the overlap is counted twice. The subtraction corrects for that. Here, 6/11+5/11=1, so the union being 7/11 tells us the overlap is exactly 4/11.
-
Find P(A∣B)
Using the definition:
P(A∣B)=P(B)P(A∩B)=5/114/11=54 …
Method: From the union back to the intersection, then both conditionals
Use this when P(A), P(B) and the union P(A∪B) are known and you must recover the intersection and the conditional probabilities.
Steps
Step 1: Rearrange the addition rule for the intersection
The addition rule solved for the overlap gives
P(A∩B)=P(A)+P(B)−P(A∪B).
This is the key quantity every conditional below depends on.
Step 2: Form each conditional by dividing
P(A∣B)=P(B)P(A∩B),P(B∣A)=P(A)P(A∩B). …
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Swapping P(A∣B) and P(B∣A) — using the same denominator for both.
Why it's wrong: they divide by different events: P(A∣B)=P(B)P(A∩B)=5/114/11=54, but P(B∣A)=P(A)P(A∩B)=6/114/11=32. They are equal only if P(A)=P(B).
Mistake 2: Sign error when extracting P(A∩B) from the addition rule. …
Showing the 12 most recent of 69 on this concept.
- AP EAPCET 2021Set eng-2021-08-23-FN1 markMCQQ.Let A and B be two events with P(A)=71, P(A/B)=52 and P(B)=72. Then the value P(B/A) is (A) 51 (B) 495 (C) 54 (D) 53
›Reveal solutionSolution
Chain the conditional-probability definition twice: first get P(A∩B) from P(A/B), then get P(B/A) from that.
Concept and Intuition
Conditional probability is defined as P(E/F)=P(F)P(E∩F). Given one conditional probability, we can back out the joint probability P(A∩B), and then use it (with the definition again, but conditioning the other way) to find the other conditional probability.
Step-by-Step Solution
- P(A/B)=P(B)P(A∩B)⇒P(A∩B)=P(A/B)⋅P(B)=52×72=354.
- Now use P(B/A)=P(A)P(A∩B)=1/74/35. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-18-FN1 markMCQQ.Two balls are drawn at random from a box containing 4 white, 6 black balls one after the other without replacement. If it is known that second ball drawn is black, then the probability that the first ball drawn is also black is (A) 115 (B) 95 (C) 125 (D) 135
›Reveal solutionSolution
Conditional probability with sampling without replacement, solved with Bayes' theorem; answer is 95.
Concept and Intuition
When balls are drawn one after another without replacement, the marginal probability that any particular draw (say the 2nd) is black equals the overall proportion of black balls, 106 — position doesn't matter for the marginal event by symmetry. To find the conditional probability of the first draw given information about the second, we use Bayes' theorem: we need the joint probability of both events and divide by the marginal probability of the conditioning event.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Total balls: 4 white (W) + 6 black (B) = 10.
- P(2nd is black)=P(1st B, 2nd B)+P(1st W, 2nd B) =106⋅95+104⋅96=9030+9024=9054=53.
- P(1st black and 2nd black)=106⋅95=9030=31. …
- AP EAPCET 2023Set eng-2023-05-16-AN1 markMCQQ.Two dice are rolled. If A denote the event that the same number shows on each die and B denote the event that the sum of the numbers on both dice is greater than 7, then P(A∣B) and P(B∣A) respectively are (A) 52,41 (B) 51,21 (C) 51,41 (D) 21,53
›Reveal solutionSolution
Counting the 36 equally likely dice outcomes directly gives P(A∣B)=51 and P(B∣A)=21.
Concept and Intuition
With two fair dice there are 36 equally likely outcomes, so every probability here reduces to simple counting: enumerate the outcomes in A, in B, and in A∩B, then apply the conditional probability formula P(X∣Y)=P(Y)P(X∩Y) directly as a ratio of counts.
Step-by-Step Solution
- A = "same number on each die": outcomes (1,1),(2,2),(3,3),(4,4),(5,5),(6,6) — 6 outcomes, so P(A)=366.
- B = "sum >7", i.e. sum ∈{8,9,10,11,12}. Counting pairs per sum: sum 8 has 5 pairs, 9 has 4, 10 has 3, 11 has 2, 12 has 1 — total 5+4+3+2+1=15 outcomes, so P(B)=3615.
- A∩B: doubles with sum >7 — check each double: (4,4) sum 8 ✓, (5,5) sum 10 ✓, (6,6) sum 12 ✓; (1,1),(2,2),(3,3) have sums 2,4,6, all ≤7 — excluded. So A∩B has 3 outcomes, P(A∩B)=363. …
- AP EAPCET 2024Set eng-2024-05-20-FN1 markMCQQ.A, B, C are mutually exclusive and exhaustive events of a random experiment and E is an event that occurs in conjunction with one of the events A, B, C. The conditional Probabilities of E given the happening of A, B, C are respectively 0.6, 0.3 and 0.1. If P(A)=0.30 and P(B)=0.50, then P(C∣E)= (A) 352 (B) 3515 (C) 3518 (D) 3517
›Reveal solutionSolution
This is a direct Bayes' theorem application over three mutually exclusive, exhaustive causes; P(C∣E)=2/35.
Concept and Intuition
When an event E can occur alongside any of several mutually exclusive, exhaustive causes A,B,C, Bayes' theorem lets us find the probability of a particular cause given that E has occurred, by weighing each cause's prior probability by how likely E is under it, then normalizing.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Since A,B,C are mutually exclusive and exhaustive, P(C)=1−P(A)−P(B)=1−0.30−0.50=0.20.
- Total probability of E: P(E)=P(E∣A)P(A)+P(E∣B)P(B)+P(E∣C)P(C) =0.6(0.30)+0.3(0.50)+0.1(0.20)=0.18+0.15+0.02=0.35 …
- AP EAPCET 2022Set eng-2022-07-06-FN1 markMCQQ.If E and F are events such that P(Fˉ)=0.7 and P(E∩F)=0.2, then P(E∣F) is (A) 2/3 (B) 1/3 (C) 3/4 (D) 1/4
›Reveal solutionSolution
This tests the basic conditional-probability formula together with the complement rule. P(E∣F)=2/3.
Concept and Intuition
P(E∣F) asks: given that F has already happened, what fraction of that reduced sample space does E∩F occupy? It is always P(F)P(E∩F), so first we need P(F) itself, which is given indirectly through its complement.
Step-by-Step Solution
- P(Fˉ)=0.7⇒P(F)=1−0.7=0.3.
- P(E∩F)=0.2 is given directly. …
- AP EAPCET 2022Set eng-2022-07-05-FN1 markMCQQ.If A and B are two events such that P(B)=0 and P(B)=1, then P(Aˉ∣Bˉ) is (A) 1−P(A∣B) (B) 1−P(Aˉ∣B) (C) P(Bˉ)1−P(A∪B) (D) P(Bˉ)P(Aˉ)
›Reveal solutionSolution
Directly apply the definition of conditional probability together with De Morgan's law; the answer is P(Bˉ)1−P(A∪B).
Concept and Intuition
Conditional probability is defined as P(X∣Y)=P(Y)P(X∩Y). Here X=Aˉ, Y=Bˉ. By De Morgan's law, Aˉ∩Bˉ=A∪B, so its probability is 1−P(A∪B).
Step-by-Step Solution
- P(Aˉ∣Bˉ)=P(Bˉ)P(Aˉ∩Bˉ).
- Aˉ∩Bˉ=A∪B (De Morgan).
- So P(Aˉ∩Bˉ)=1−P(A∪B). …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-12-FN1 markMCQQ.In a college, the heights of 4% of male and 1% of female students are more than 1.8 meters. If 60% of the total students are female and a student selected at random has height more than 1.8 meters, then the probability that this student is a female, is (A) 118 (B) 116 (C) 115 (D) 113
›Reveal solutionSolution
A direct application of Bayes' theorem: given the height is above 1.8m, find the probability the student is female.
Concept and Intuition
This is the classic "reverse conditional probability" setup — we know P(tall∣gender) for each gender and the gender proportions, and want P(gender∣tall). Bayes' theorem converts one direction of conditioning into the other by weighting each gender's tall-probability by its population share and normalizing.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Let M = male, F = female, H = height >1.8m. Given: P(F)=0.6, P(M)=0.4, P(H∣M)=0.04, P(H∣F)=0.01.
- Total probability of height >1.8m: P(H)=P(M)P(H∣M)+P(F)P(H∣F)=0.4(0.04)+0.6(0.01)=0.016+0.006=0.022. …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set eng-2025-05-26-FN1 markMCQQ.If two events A and B are such that P(Aˉ)=0.3, P(B)=0.4 and P(A∩Bˉ)=0.5, then P(B/(A∪Bˉ))= (A) 0.25 (B) 0.6 (C) 0.45 (D) 0.8
›Reveal solutionSolution
This tests careful set manipulation of conditional probability with a compound conditioning event A∪Bˉ. Answer: 0.25.
Concept and Intuition
Conditional probability P(B∣E)=P(E)P(B∩E) works exactly the same way when E is a compound event like A∪Bˉ — we just need to correctly compute P(E) and P(B∩E) using set algebra (distributing intersection over union, and using the fact that B and Bˉ are disjoint).
Step-by-Step Solution
- From P(Aˉ)=0.3, get P(A)=1−0.3=0.7.
- P(A∩Bˉ)=0.5 is given directly, so P(A∩B)=P(A)−P(A∩Bˉ)=0.7−0.5=0.2.
- Compute P(A∪Bˉ) using inclusion-exclusion: P(A∪Bˉ)=P(A)+P(Bˉ)−P(A∩Bˉ). Here P(Bˉ)=1−0.4=0.6, so P(A∪Bˉ)=0.7+0.6−0.5=0.8. …
- AP EAPCET 2021Set eng-2021-08-24-FN1 markMCQQ.If A and B are mutually exclusive events with P(A)=41 and P(B)=73. Then what is the value of P(A/A∪B)= (A) 197 (B) 1912 (C) 1906 (D) 1913
›Reveal solutionSolution
Mutually exclusive events make P(A∪B) a simple sum, and since A is entirely contained in A∪B, the conditional probability reduces to P(A)/P(A∪B).
Concept and Intuition
For mutually exclusive A,B: P(A∩B)=0, so P(A∪B)=P(A)+P(B). Also A∩(A∪B)=A always, so P(A∣A∪B)=P(A∪B)P(A∩(A∪B))=P(A∪B)P(A).
Step-by-Step Solution
- P(A∪B)=P(A)+P(B)=41+73.
- Common denominator 28: 287+2812=2819. …
- AP EAPCET 2021Set eng-2021-08-25-AN1 markMCQQ.Given P(A)=0.5,P(B)=0.4,P(A∩B)=0.3 then P(A′/B′) is equal to (A) 31 (B) 21 (C) 32 (D) 43
›Reveal solutionSolution
Using De Morgan's law A′∩B′=(A∪B)′ and the conditional probability formula gives P(A′∣B′)=32.
Concept and Intuition
P(A′∣B′) asks: given we're outside B, what's the chance we're also outside A? The key trick is that A′∩B′=(A∪B)′ (De Morgan), which is easy to compute from P(A∪B).
Step-by-Step Solution
- P(A∪B)=P(A)+P(B)−P(A∩B)=0.5+0.4−0.3=0.6.
- P(A′∩B′)=P((A∪B)′)=1−P(A∪B)=1−0.6=0.4.
- P(B′)=1−P(B)=1−0.4=0.6. …
- AP EAPCET 2024Set eng-2024-05-23-FN1 markMCQQ.It is given that in a random experiment events A and B are such that P(A)=41, P(A∣B)=21 and P(B∣A)=32 then P(B)= (A) 31 (B) 32 (C) 21 (D) 61
›Reveal solutionSolution
Using P(B∣A) to find P(A∩B), then dividing by P(A∣B), gives P(B)=31.
Concept and Intuition
The conditional probability definitions P(A∣B)=P(B)P(A∩B) and P(B∣A)=P(A)P(A∩B) share the common quantity P(A∩B) — computing it from one equation lets us solve the other for the unknown probability.
Step-by-Step Solution
- From P(B∣A)=P(A)P(A∩B)=32, and P(A)=41: P(A∩B)=32×41=61.
- From P(A∣B)=P(B)P(A∩B)=21: P(B)=P(A∣B)P(A∩B)=1/21/6=31.
Common Mistakes …
- AP EAPCET 2024Set eng-2024-05-20-FN1 markMCQQ.P(A∣A∩B)+P(B∣A∩B)= (A) 1 (B) P(A∪B) (C) P(A∩B) (D) 2
›Reveal solutionSolution
Both conditional probabilities equal 1 because A∩B is a subset of both A and B, so their sum is 2.
Concept and Intuition
Conditioning an event on its own subset (or superset relationship) often collapses to a probability of exactly 1: if E⊆F, then P(F∣E)=1, since knowing E occurred guarantees F occurred too.
Step-by-Step Solution
- P(A∣A∩B)=P(A∩B)P(A∩(A∩B)).
- Since A∩(A∩B)=A∩B (intersecting with A again changes nothing, as A∩B⊆A), this is P(A∩B)P(A∩B)=1.
- Similarly, P(B∣A∩B)=P(A∩B)P(B∩(A∩B))=P(A∩B)P(A∩B)=1.
- Sum =1+1=2. …
🎓Unlock everything free for 14 days
- ✓Full step-by-step solutions
- ✓Concept-first explanations
- ✓Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
- ✓PYQ mapping + timed mock tests
Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.