Probability Tree Answers

1. Audrey and Daisy play a game of charades and a game of hide-and-seek. The probability that
Audrey will win at charades is 0.6, the probability that Daisy will win at hide-and-seek is 0.3.

a. Complete the tree diagram.

Charades Hide and Seek

Audrey Wins
0.7

Audrey Wins

0.6
0.3 Daisy Wins

Audrey Wins
0.7

0.4 Daisy Wins

0.3 Daisy Wins

b. What is the probability that they each win one game?

0.46

2. There are 6 counters in a bag; 2 white and 4 black. I take a counter out of the bag at random,
replace it and then take out another at random.

a. Complete the tree diagram.

Counter 1 Counter 2
4
Black
6

Black
4
6 2
6 White

4
6 Black
2
6 White

2
6 White

b. What is the probability that I take out 2 counters of the same colour?
5
9

Page 1 of 5
 Probability Tree Answers

3. There are 10 coloured balls in a bag; 3 red, 4 blue and 3 green. Sally picks 2 at random from the
bag.

a. Complete the tree diagram:

Ball 1 Ball 2

2
9 Red

3 4
Red 9
10 Blue
3
9 Green
3
9 Red

4 3
Blue 9
10 Blue
3
9 Green

3
9 Red

3 4
Green 9
10 Blue
2
9 Green

b. What is the probability that she picks 2 balls of the same colour?
4
15
c. What is the probability that neither of the balls that she picks are red?
7
15

Page 2 of 5
 Probability Tree Answers

4. James has breakfast on 4 mornings out of every 5. When James doesn’t have any breakfast, he is
grumpy all morning. When he has breakfast, he is cheerful all morning. When James is grumpy,
there is a probability of 0.8 that he will have an argument with his sister Emma. When he is
cheerful, there is a probability of 0.1 that he will have an argument with Emma.

a. Draw a tree diagram to show this information.

Argument
0.1

Breakfast
4
5 0.9
No Argument

Argument
1 0.8
5
No Breakfast

0.2
No Argument

b. What is the probability that James will have an argument with Emma on any given day?
6
25
5. On any given day, the probability that it will be raining at 8:30 am, when Louis sets off for work,
is 0.4. If it is raining, he drives to work, if it is not raining, he walks. When he walks to work, the
probability that he will be late is 0.1; when he drives, the probability that he will be late is 0.15.

a. Draw a tree diagram to show this information.

Late
0.15

Drive
0.4
0.85
Not Late

Late
0.1
0.6
Walk

0.9
Not Late

b. What is the probability that Louis will be late for work on any given day?
0.12

Page 3 of 5
 Probability Tree Answers

6. Bert picks 3 numbers from the integers 1 to 10, inclusive. What is the probability that he picks
exactly 2 prime numbers?
3
10
7. Bob and Rob each write down the letters from their names on 3 separate blank cards and shuffle
the resulting pile of 6 cards. Their friend Robby then deals out 3 cards to Bob, placing them in front
of him from left to right.

a. Draw a tree diagram to show the probabilities of Bob receiving each card first, second and third.

1
4 B
2 2
5 B 4 O
1
4 R
2
4 B
3 2 1
6 B 5 O 4 O
1
4 R
2
4 B
1 2
5 R 4 O
2
4 B
3 1
5 B 4 O
1
4 R
3
4 B
2 1
6 O 5 O
1
4 R
3
4 B
1
5 R
1
4 O
3 2
5 B 4 B
1 2
6 R 4 O
2 3
5 O 4 B
1
4 O

Page 4 of 5
 Probability Tree Answers

b. What is the probability that Bob is able to spell his name with the 3 cards?
3
10
c. What is the probability that he is able to spell Rob’s name with the cards?
3
10
d. What is the probability that Bob is dealt the cards so that they spell out his name in
the correct order?
1
10
8. Define and give an example of each of the following:

a. Mutually exclusive events

Two events are mutually exclusive if, when one happens, the other cannot happen; e.g. rolling an even
number and rolling an odd number in one roll of a die.

b. Independent events

Independent events are events in which the outcome of one event does not affect the probability of
the outcome of the other event; e.g. the outcome of rolling a die and the outcome of tossing a coin.

9. Anthony is playing musical circles with an ant. The ant is kept on a rectangular sheet of paper by
some cardboard barriers which it cannot climb. The paper is 20 cm long and 10 cm wide and the ant
roams around the piece of paper. The paper has 4 separate circles drawn on it, each of radius 2cm.
total area of circles
The probability that the ant has its leg in a circle on any given occasion =
area of rectangle
a. When the music stops, what is the probability that the ant is
in a circle? Give your answer to 3 decimal places.

0.251

Anthony stops the music 3 times. If the music stops with the ant in the circles on exactly 2 occasions,
the ant wins a prize.

b. What is the probability that the ant wins a prize during the 3
rounds? Give your answer to 3 decimal places.

The probability of a prize is 0.142.

10. There are 10 counters in a bag. p of them are purple and the rest are yellow. Find, in terms of p, the
probability that, when Algernon picks two counters out of the bag at random, they are both purple.
p p-1 p2-p
× =
10 9 90

Page 5 of 5