Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
In a class of students, play chess, play football and play both. A student is chosen at random. Find the product of the probability of playing chess and the probability of playing football. Then find the probability that a student plays chess, given that the student plays football. Decide whether playing chess and playing football are independent.
Events are independent when , which is the same as . Test the product, never assume it. For independent events, .
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The two probabilities. and .
Step 2. The product. .
Step 3. The overlap. . It equals the product, so the events are independent.
Step 4. Chess given football. , which is the same as .
Answer: the product is and the conditional probability is . The events are independent.
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