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Q.Mother, father and son line up at random for a family photo. If AA and BB are two events given by AA = Son on one end, BB = Father in the middle, find P(B/A)P(B/A).

CBSECBSE Class XII Board 2019Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
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We need the probability that father is in the middle given that the son is on one end. By restricting our sample space to arrangements where the son occupies an end position, we find P(B∣A)=12P(B|A) = \frac{1}{2}.

Understanding Conditional Probability

When we write P(B∣A)P(B|A), we're asking: "What fraction of the outcomes in which AA happens also have BB happening?" The key insight is that once we know AA has occurred, our universe shrinks. We no longer consider all possible arrangements—only those consistent with the son being on one end.

The formula captures this:

P(B∣A)=P(A∩B)P(A)P(B|A) = \frac{P(A \cap B)}{P(A)}

The numerator counts arrangements where both the son is on an end and the father is in the middle. The denominator counts all arrangements where the son is on an end. Their ratio gives us the conditional probability.

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Identify the total sample space

Three people can be arranged in 3!=63! = 6 ways. Let's label them M (mother), F (father), S (son). The six equally likely arrangements are:

MFS, MSF, FMS, FSM, SMF, SFM\text{MFS, MSF, FMS, FSM, SMF, SFM}

2. Find P(A)P(A): probability that the son is on one end

The son occupies an end position (first or last) in these arrangements:

  • SMF, SFM (son first)
  • MFS, FMS (son last)

That's 4 out of 6 arrangements, so:

P(A)=46=23P(A) = \frac{4}{6} = \frac{2}{3}

3. Find P(A∩B)P(A \cap B): probability that the son is on an end AND the father is in the middle

For both events to occur simultaneously, we need:

  • Son at position 1 or 3 (an end)
  • Father at position 2 (the middle)

Looking at our list:

  • SFM: son first, father middle ✓
  • MFS: son last, father middle ✓ …

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