Smoker Tree Diagram: Calculate P(H|D)

In summary, the conversation was about a tree diagram showing the probabilities of heavy smokers, light smokers, and non-smokers, and their chances of dying. The conversation then discusses how to calculate the probability of a person being a heavy smoker given that they died, which is found to be 42.1%.
  • #1
dogma
35
0
Tree Diagram

Hello again!

I'm stuck and need a little push.

Referring to the diagram: out of a group of smokers, 20% are heavy smokers, 30% are light smokers, and 50% are non-smokers. A light smoker is twice as likely to die as a non-smoker but half as likely as a heavy smoker.

H: heavy smoker
L: light smoker
N: non-smoker
D: die

So, I created the tree diagram (see attached) and understand the relationship. I come up with the following.

[tex]P(D|L)=2P(D|N)=\frac{1}{2}P(D|H)[/tex]

[tex]P(H|D)=\frac{P(H)P(D|H)}{P(D)}[/tex]

and likewise for P(L|D) and P(N|D)

I need to figure out what P(H|D) is given the info and the tree I created.

Can someone nudge me in the right direction?

Thanks,
dogma
 

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  • #2
waiter...check please

I think I got it…can someone check me, please?

The probability of a person being a heavy smoker given that he died:

[tex]P(H|D)=\frac{P(H \cap D)}{P(D)}=\frac{P(H)P(D|H)}{P(D)}[/tex]

The probability that a person in this study dies:

[tex]P(D)=P(H \cap D)+P(L \cap D)+P(N \cap D)[/tex]

[tex]= P(H)P(D|H)+P(L)P(D|L)+P(N)P(D|N)[/tex]

…but since [tex] P(D|L)= 2P(D|N)= \frac{1}{2}P(D|H)[/tex]

…so

[tex]P(D)= P(H)P(D|H)+\frac{1}{2}P(L)P(D|H)+\frac{1}{4}P(N)P(D|H)[/tex]

…then

[tex] P(H|D)=\frac{P(H)P(D|H)}{ P(H)P(D|H)+\frac{1}{2}P(L)P(D|H)+\frac{1}{4}P(N)P(D|H)}[/tex]

…the P(D|H)'s cancel out leaving a very simple equation to plug and chug

P(H|D) = 42.1%
 
  • #3
Your answer checks.
 

1. What is a Smoker Tree Diagram?

A Smoker Tree Diagram is a graphical representation of the relationship between two variables, where one variable is binary (smoker or non-smoker) and the other is continuous (such as age or number of cigarettes smoked per day). It is used to calculate the probability of a certain outcome (such as developing lung cancer) based on the presence or absence of a risk factor (smoking).

2. How is a Smoker Tree Diagram constructed?

A Smoker Tree Diagram is constructed by starting with a root node representing the entire population, and then branching out into two child nodes representing the two possible values of the binary variable (smoker and non-smoker). Each child node is then further divided into subnodes based on the possible values of the continuous variable. This process continues until the final nodes represent the outcome of interest (such as developing lung cancer or not).

3. What is P(H|D) in a Smoker Tree Diagram?

P(H|D) is the conditional probability of an outcome (H) given a certain condition (D). In the context of a Smoker Tree Diagram, it represents the probability of developing a certain disease (such as lung cancer) given the presence or absence of a risk factor (such as smoking).

4. How is P(H|D) calculated in a Smoker Tree Diagram?

P(H|D) is calculated by multiplying the probabilities along the path from the root node to the final outcome node. For example, if the path from the root node to the final outcome node for a smoker with a certain age is 0.2, then the probability of that outcome is 0.2. This process is repeated for each possible path and the probabilities are summed to get the overall probability of the outcome given the condition.

5. What are the limitations of a Smoker Tree Diagram?

A Smoker Tree Diagram assumes that the two variables (smoker/non-smoker and continuous variable) are independent, which may not always be the case in real-life situations. It also relies on accurate and reliable data to calculate the probabilities, which may not always be available. Additionally, it only considers two variables and may not account for other factors that could affect the outcome.

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