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Q.If P(A∣B)=P(A′∣B)P(A|B) = P(A'|B), then which of the following statements is correct ?
(A) P(A)=P(A′)P(A) = P(A')
(B) P(A)=2P(B)P(A) = 2 P(B)
(C) P(A∩B)=12P(B)P(A \cap B) = \frac{1}{2} P(B)
(D) P(A∩B)=2P(B)P(A \cap B) = 2 P(B)

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The condition P(A∣B)=P(A′∣B)P(A|B) = P(A'|B) means that given BB, events AA and A′A' are equally likely. This forces P(A∩B)=P(A′∩B)P(A \cap B) = P(A' \cap B), which simplifies to P(A∩B)=12P(B)P(A \cap B) = \frac{1}{2} P(B). The correct option is (C).

The key here is to understand what conditional probability actually says. P(A∣B)P(A|B) is the probability that AA happens, given that BB has already occurred. So when we say P(A∣B)=P(A′∣B)P(A|B) = P(A'|B), we are told that inside the world of BB, the chance of AA happening is exactly the same as the chance of AA not happening. That means, within BB, AA and its complement are equally likely — each has probability 12\frac{1}{2} of occurring, conditional on BB.

Let’s translate that into algebra.

  1. Write the definition of conditional probability for both sides:

P(A∣B)=P(A∩B)P(B),P(A′∣B)=P(A′∩B)P(B)P(A|B) = \frac{P(A \cap B)}{P(B)}, \quad P(A'|B) = \frac{P(A' \cap B)}{P(B)}

The given equality is:

P(A∩B)P(B)=P(A′∩B)P(B)\frac{P(A \cap B)}{P(B)} = \frac{P(A' \cap B)}{P(B)}

  1. Since P(B)>0P(B) > 0 (otherwise conditional probability isn’t defined), we can multiply both sides by P(B)P(B) and get:

P(A∩B)=P(A′∩B)P(A \cap B) = P(A' \cap B)

  1. Now, note that A∩BA \cap B and A′∩BA' \cap B are disjoint sets whose union is exactly BB (because every outcome in BB is either in AA or not in AA). So:

P(A∩B)+P(A′∩B)=P(B)P(A \cap B) + P(A' \cap B) = P(B)

  1. Since the two probabilities are equal, let each be xx. Then:

x+x=P(B)⇒2x=P(B)⇒x=12P(B)x + x = P(B) \quad \Rightarrow \quad 2x = P(B) \quad \Rightarrow \quad x = \frac{1}{2} P(B)

But x=P(A∩B)x = P(A \cap B), so:

P(A∩B)=12P(B)P(A \cap B) = \frac{1}{2} P(B) …

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