Classroom exercises on probability.

1. If two dice are rolled one time, find the probability of getting these results.
a. A sum of 6.
b. Doubles.
c. A sum of 7 or 11.
d. A sum greater than 9.
e. A sum less than or equal to 4.

2. A box contains five red, two white, and three green marbles. If a marble is selected at
random, find these probabilities
a. That it is red.
b. That it is green.
c. That it is red or white.
d. That it is not green.
e. That it is not red.

3. If there are 50 tickets sold for a raffle and one person buys 7 tickets, what is the probability
of that person winning the prize?

4. A survey found that 53% of Americans think U.S. forces should be used to “protect the
interest of U.S. corporations” in other countries. If an American is selected at random, find
the probability that he or she will disagree or have no opinion on the issue.

5. A roulette wheel has 38 spaces numbered 1 through 36, 0 and 00. Find the probability of
getting these results.
a. An odd number.
b. A number greater than 25.
c. A number less than 15 not counting 0 and 00.

6. A baseball player’s batting average is 0.331. If he is at bat 53 times during the season, find
the approximate number of times he gets to first base safely.

7. If three dice are rolled, find the probability of getting triples that is, 1, 1, 1; 2, 2, 2, etc.

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8. The distribution of ages of CEOs is as follows:

Age Frequency
21  30 1
31  40 8
41  50 27
51  60 29
61  70 24
71  up 11

If a CEO is selected at random, find the probability that his or her age is
a. Between 31 and 40.
b. Under 31.
c. Over 30 and under 51.
d. Under 31 or over 60.

9. Determine whether the following events are mutually exclusive.

a. Roll a die: Get an even number, and get a number less than 3.
b. Roll a die: Get a prime number and get an odd number.
c. Roll a die: Get a number greater than 3, and get a number less than 3.
d. Select a student in this class: The student has blond hair, and the student has blue eyes
e. Select a student in this college: The student is a sophomore, and the student is a
business major.
f. Select any course: It is a calculus class, and it is a literature course.
g. Select a register voter: The voter is a Republican, and the voter is a Democrat.

10. In a large department store, there are 2 managers, 4 department heads, 16 clerks, and 4
stock persons. If a person is selected at random, find the probability that the person is
either a clerk or a manager.

11. The probability of a California teenager owning a surfboard is 0.43, of owning a skateboard
is 0.38, and of owning both is 0.28. If a California teenager is selected at random, find the
probability that he or she owns a surfboard or a skateboard.

12. A single card is drawn from a deck. Find the probability of selecting the following.
a. A 4 or a diamond.
b. A club or a diamond.
c. A jack or a black card.

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13. At a used-book sale, 100 books are adult books, and 160 are children’s books. 70 of the
adult books are nonfiction while 60 of the children’s books are nonfiction. If a book is
selected at random, find the probability that it is
a. Fiction.
b. Not a children’s nonfiction.
c. An adult book or a children’s nonfiction.

14. A large department store purchases 400 portable stereos for a sale. 250 of them have CD
players and 150 of them have MP3 players; 140 of the portable stereos with CD players are
black, and the rest are white; 80 of the portable stereos with MP3 players are black, and the
rest are white. If a portable stereo is selected at random, find the probability that it will
a. Be black or have a CD player.
b. Be white or have a MP3 player.

15. A woman’s clothing store owner buys from three companies: A, B, and C. The most recent
purchases are shown here.

Product Company A Company B Company C

Dresses 24 18 12
Blouses 13 36 15

If one item is selected at random, find the following probabilities.

a. It was purchased from company A or is a dress.
b. It was purchased from company B or company C.
c. It is a blouse or was purchased from company A.

16. Three cable channels (6, 8, and 10) have quiz shows, comedies, and dramas. The number
of each is shown here.

Type of show Channel 6 Channel 8 Channel 10

Quiz show 5 2 1
Comedy 3 2 8
Drama 4 4 2

If a show is selected at random, find these probabilities.

a. The show is a quiz show or it is shown in channel 8.
b. The show is a drama or a comedy.
c. The show is shown in channel 10 or it is a drama.

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17. A sales representative who visits customers at home finds she sells 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 items
according to the following frequency distribution.

Items sold Frequency

0 8
1 10
2 3
3 2
4 1

Find the probability that she sells the following.

a. Exactly one item.
b. More than two items.
c. At least one item.
d. At most three items.

18. A recent study of 300 patients found that of 100 alcoholic patients, 87 had elevated
cholesterol levels, and of 200 nonalcoholic patients, 43 had elevated cholesterol levels. If a
patient is selected at random, find the probability that the patient is the following.
a. An alcoholic with elevated cholesterol level.
b. A nonalcoholic.
c. A nonalcoholic with nonelevated cholesterol level.

19. State which events are independent and which are dependent.
a. Tossing a coin and drawing a card from a deck.
b. Drawing a ball from an urn, not replacing it, and then drawing a second ball.
c. Getting a raise in salary and purchasing a new car.
d. Driving on ice and having an accident.
e. Having a large shoe size and having a high IQ.
f. A father being left-handed and a daughter being left-handed.
g. Smoking excessively and having lung cancer.
h. Eating an excessive amount of ice cream and smoking an excessive amount of
cigarettes.

20. An automobile saleswoman finds that the probability of making a sale is 0.23. If she talks
to four customers today, find the probability that she will sell four cars.

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21. If two cards are selected from a standard deck of 52 cards without replacement, find these
probabilities.
a. Both are spades.
b. Both are the same suit
c. Both are kings.

22. A flashlight has six batteries, two of which are defective. If two are selected at random
without replacement, find the following probabilities.
a. Both batteries are defective.
b. The first battery tests good and the second one is defective.

23. Three cards are drawn from a deck without replacement. Find these probabilities.
a. All are 5s.
b. All are hearts.
c. All are red cards.

24. In a class containing 12 men and 18 women, two students are selected at random to give an
impromptu speech. Find the following probabilities.
a. Both speeches are given by women.
b. Both speeches are given by men.

25. A manufacturer makes two models of an item: model I, which account for 80% of unit
sales, and model II, which accounts for 20% of unit sales. Because of defects, the
manufacturer has to replace (or exchange) 10% of its model I and 18% of its model II. If a
model is selected at random, find the probability that it will be defective.

26. At the Avonlea Country Club, 73% of the members play bridge and swim, and 82% play
bridge. If a member is selected at random, find the probability that the member swims,
given that the member plays bridge.

27. At a small college, the probability that a student takes physics and sociology is 0.092. The
probability that a student takes sociology is 0.73. Find the probability that the student is
taking physics, given that he or she is taking sociology.

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28. 80 students in a school cafeteria were asked if they favored a ban on smoking in the
cafeteria. The results of the survey are shown in the table.

Class Favor Oppose No opinion

Freshman 15 27 8
Sophomore 23 5 2
If a student is selected at random, find these probabilities.
a. Given that the student is a freshman, he or she opposes the ban.
b. Given that the student favors the ban, the student is a sophomore.

29. In a large shopping mall, a marketing agency conducted a survey on credit cards. The
results are shown in the table.

Employment Owns a credit Does not own a

status card credit card
Employed 18 29
Unemployed 28 34

If a person is selected at random, find these probabilities.

a. The person owns a credit card, given that the person is employed.
b. The person is unemployed, given that the person owns a credit card.

30. In a small village, one bus arrives a day. The probability of rain in the village is 0.30. If it
rains, the probability of a bus being late is 0.40. If it does not rain, the probability of a bus
being late is 0.15.
a. Complete the tree diagram
b. Work out the number of days the bus will be late over a period of 80 days.

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31. A customer can choose one of three amplifiers, one of two compact disc players, and one of
five speaker models for an entertainment system. Determine the number of possible system
configurations.

32. In how many ways can a six-question true-false exam can be answered? (Assume that no
question are omitted).

33. How many 5-digit zip codes are possible if digits can be repeated? If there cannot be
repetitions?

34. The ski club with ten members is to choose three officers: captain, co-captain & secretary,
how many ways can those offices be filled?

35. The company Sea East has ten members on its board of directors. In how many different
ways can it elect a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer?

36. For a segment of a radio show, a disc jockey (Dr. Jams) can play 4 songs. If there are 8 to
select from, in how many ways can the program for this segment be arranged?

37. Suppose you are asked to list, in order or preference, the three best movies you have seen
this year. If you saw 10 movies during the year, in how many ways can the three best be
chosen and ranked?

38. In the Long Beach Air Race six planes are entered and there are no ties, in how many ways
can the first three finishers come in?

39. An election ballot asks voters to select three city commissioners from a group of six
candidates. In how many ways can this be done?

40. A four-person committee is to be elected from an organization’s membership of 11 people.

How many different committees are possible?

41. You are on your way to Hawaii (Aloha) and of 15 possible books your parents say you can
only take 10. How many different collections of 10 books can you take?

42. There are 12 standbys who hope to get on your flight to Hawaii, but only 6 seats are
available on the plane. How many different ways can the 6 people be selected?

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43. To win the small county lottery, one must correctly select 3 numbers from 30 numbers. The
order in which the selection is made does not matter. How many different selections are
possible?

44. Identify the following as Permutations, Combinations or Counting Principle problems (no
need to solve).

a. In a race in which six automobiles are entered and there are not ties, in how many ways
can the first four finishers come in?
b. The model of the car you are thinking of buying is available in nine different colors and
three different styles (hatchback, sedan, or station wagon). In how many ways can you
order the car?
c. A book club offers a choice of 8 books from a list of 40. In how many ways can a
member make a collection?
d. A medical researcher needs 6 people to test the effectiveness of an experimental drug. If
13 people have volunteered for the test, in how many ways can 6 people be selected?
e. From a club of 20 people, in how many ways can a group of three members be
selected?
f. From the 30 pictures I have of my daughter’s first birthday, my digital picture frame
will only hold 3 at a time.
i. How many different groups of 3 pictures can I put on the frame?
ii. What if I just wanted to fill the first three places with my favorite, best smile and best
smashing of the cake?
g. A popular brand of pen is available in three colors (red, green or blue) and four tips
(bold, medium, fine or micro). How many different choices of pens do you have with
this brand?