- #1
bucher
- 79
- 1
This is a probability problem that I thought up one day after being inspired by the Boy or Girl Dilemma I read in the news (a while back).
Say a breeder has five dogs. A customer shows up one day and wants to know about the dogs. The customer is interested in a female dog and so asks the breeder if there is at least one female dog in the litter of five. The breeder says, "Yes".
After this, the customer leaves the store and goes to another one. There are five dogs at that store as well. The customer asks the breeder if the oldest dog in the litter of five is female. The breeder says, "Yes".
What is the probability of the first breeder having all females?
What is the probability of the second breeder having all females?
Since this is a probability question, I'll tell you the answers and you can determine why.
The probability of the first breeder having all females is 1/31
The probability of the second breeder having all females is 1/16
Say a breeder has five dogs. A customer shows up one day and wants to know about the dogs. The customer is interested in a female dog and so asks the breeder if there is at least one female dog in the litter of five. The breeder says, "Yes".
After this, the customer leaves the store and goes to another one. There are five dogs at that store as well. The customer asks the breeder if the oldest dog in the litter of five is female. The breeder says, "Yes".
What is the probability of the first breeder having all females?
What is the probability of the second breeder having all females?
Since this is a probability question, I'll tell you the answers and you can determine why.
The probability of the first breeder having all females is 1/31
The probability of the second breeder having all females is 1/16