Calculating Probabilities for Dorm Room Appliances: TV, Fridge, or Neither?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating probabilities related to dorm room appliances, specifically the presence of a fridge and a TV. The original poster presents a problem from a statistics textbook involving the probabilities of having a TV, a fridge, both, or neither.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate probabilities using various formulas but expresses confusion regarding the correct approach for "a TV or fridge but not both." Some participants suggest using a Venn diagram to visualize the problem and clarify the relationships between the probabilities.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the problem, with some providing feedback on the original poster's calculations and suggesting alternative methods for understanding the probabilities. There is an acknowledgment of the need to consider overlapping probabilities, and the discussion is evolving with input from multiple participants.

Contextual Notes

The original poster notes that the problem is from a textbook and expresses frustration about not being able to check answers due to the odd/even question format. There is also a mention of the appropriate forum section for posting homework questions.

Notoriousb3
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So I'm having some trouble with a particular question in my stats textbook. It's an even number and the answers in the back cover only the odd questions so i can't check my answers. Here's the question:
Dorm rooms on a university campus reveal that 38% have a fridge, 52% a TV and 21 % have both a fridge and a TV. Find the probability that a dorm room has:
a)a TV but no fridge
b)A tv or fridge BOT NOT BOTH??
c)neither a tv nor a fridge

Heres what I did:
a)Muliplied the probability of having a tv by 1 minus the probability of having a fridge
.52 x (1-.32)= .35
b)Heres where I got confused. It says but not both? I've never seen that before. I just used the standard formula for p(aorb)=p(a)-p(b)-p(a&b) which is .52+.38-.21=.69 Is that right?
c)1 minus the probability of having a fridge or tv (the answer i got for b) so
1-.69= .31

Any feedback of whether I am doing this right would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Why can't i get any assistance with this question? Is it that stupid? Is it because I am a "noob" Seriously any feedback positive or negative would be GREATLY appreciated.
I realize now that i did b wrong the p(aorb) with the given formula includes the probability of p(a) and p(b) occurring simultaneously. Should I calculate with p(a&notb) x p(b&nota) for p(aorb) when they both cannot occur??
 
You're new here, so you probably didn't realize that homework problems should be posted in the Homework and Coursework section, not in the Math section.

Yes, you need to take into account the rooms that have both a fridge and a TV (21%). I drew a Venn diagram with two overlapping circles to figure out the probabilities. In the Venn diagram there are four distinct regions - rooms with a refrigerator (only), rooms with a TV (only), rooms with both a refrigerator and a TV, and rooms with neither.
 
Thanks mark. Ill be sure to post problems in the homework section from now on. You're right it helps to visualize the problem as a venn diagram instead of plugging numbers into formulas or trying to make new ones:p
 

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