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Set Notation And Probability Diagrams

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Lesson notes

Two-Way Tables

  • A two-way table compares two characteristics (e.g., year group and language choice).
  • Add row and column totals, including an overall total in the bottom-right corner.
  • Probability from the whole table: denominator is the overall total.
  • Probability from a specific category: denominator is that category total.
  • Always check that row and column totals sum to the overall total.

Two-way table: language choice by year group

Two-way table: language choice by year groupSpanishGermanYear 12Year 13TotalTotal15105252530203555

Set Notation

  • (or U, ξ) is the universal set – everything under consideration.
  • n(A) is the number of elements in set A.
  • A ∩ B is the intersection – elements in both A and B.
  • A ∪ B is the union – elements in A or B or both.
  • A' is the complement – elements in ℰ not in A.
  • Sets can be described using curly brackets: {x : rule}.

Venn Diagrams

  • A Venn diagram uses a rectangle (ℰ) and circles for sets.
  • Overlapping circles show the intersection of sets.
  • Place numbers or elements in each region, starting with the intersection.
  • Work outwards from the intersection to fill the rest.

Sets A and B

Sets A and BAB3323n(ℰ) = 11

Probabilities from Venn Diagrams

  • Probability = (number of elements in region) / (total number of elements).
  • For conditional probability, restrict the denominator to the given set.
  • Be careful: some given numbers may need to be split between regions.

Spanish and German study (class of 30)

Spanish and German study (class of 30)SG12837Spanish but not Germann(ℰ) = 30

Probability Tree Diagrams

  • Tree diagrams show outcomes of repeated experiments with two outcomes each.
  • Probabilities on branches from the same point add to 1.
  • Multiply along branches to find the probability of a sequence.
  • Add probabilities of different sequences to find the probability of combined events.
  • For 'at least one', it is often easier to use 1 − P(none).

Two sets of traffic lights

Two sets of traffic lights1st light2nd light5/78/91/92/78/91/9GreenRedGreen, Green 40/63Green, Red 5/63Red, Green 16/63Red, Red 2/63

Combined Probability

  • P(A and B) = P(A) × P(B) (the 'and rule') for independent events.
  • P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) (the 'or rule') for mutually exclusive events.
  • Events are independent if one does not affect the other.
  • For 'without replacement', events are not independent – adjust probabilities accordingly.

Slides

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Practice questions

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  1. 1.= {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10}. A = {1, 4, 9}. What is n(A)?

    Easy
    • A3
    • B4
    • C5
    • D6
  2. 2.Which set notation describes the shaded region in a Venn diagram where only the overlap of A and B is shaded?

    Easy
    Venn diagramAB
    • AA ∩ B
    • BA ∪ B
    • CA'
    • DB'
  3. 3.In a Venn diagram, the universal set is represented by a:

    Easy
    • Arectangle
    • Bcircle
    • Ctriangle
    • Dsquare
  4. 4.If P(rain) = 1/3 and P(go fishing | rain) = 3/5, what is P(rain and go fishing)?

    Medium
    • A1/5
    • B3/15
    • C2/5
    • D1/3
  5. 5.In a two-way table, the overall total should be placed in which corner?

    Easy
    • Abottom-right
    • Btop-left
    • Cbottom-left
    • Dtop-right
  6. 6.= {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14}. F = {x: x is a factor of 14}. P = {x: x is a prime number less than 14}. What is n(F ∩ P)?

    Medium
    • A2
    • B3
    • C4
    • D5
  7. 7.In a group of 40 students, 24 like football, 19 like cricket, and 10 like football but not cricket. How many students like both football and cricket?

    Medium
    • A14
    • B5
    • C10
    • D9
  8. 8.The probability that Arun plays football is 3/4 and that Bob plays football is 2/5. What is the probability that both play football?

    Medium
    • A3/10
    • B6/20
    • C1/2
    • D3/5

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