How Does Conditional Probability Affect the Chances of a Computer Starting?

I just don't see how you got "less than 1%" from that.In summary, the probability of the computer switching on is 0.009472475, which is the probability that at least one of the monitor, CPU, or keyboard will not work. The conditional probability of the monitor not working given that the keyboard has been damaged does not affect the answer, as it only considers the probability of one specific malfunction rather than the overall probability of the computer not working.
  • #1
estado3
13
0

Homework Statement



The probability of a monitor not working is 0.005, the probability of a cpu faulty is 0.002, the probability of a keyboard damaged is 0.0025, what is the probability of the computer switching on? If you are then told that the conditional probability of the monitor not working given that the keyboard has been damaged is 0.05, how does this affect the answer?

Homework Equations


probability of monitor not working = 0.005
probability of cpu faulty = 0.002
probability of keyboard damaged = 0.0025


The Attempt at a Solution


For the first part is was solved ok with a venn diagram removing from 1 the summed up individual probabilities and the intersect probabilities giving 0.009472475, however for the second part I attempted adding P(M|K) to to each occurence of p(K) in(where P(k) is probability of the keyboard being damaged) the general equation obtained from the venn diagram, but my answer was off the mark of 0.0936025
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
What exactly is meant by "the computer switching on"? That none of those malfunctions happens? 0.009472475 is the probability of at least one of those malfunctions happening and I have trouble reconciling that with "the computer switching on"!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #3
HallsofIvy said:
What exactly is meant by "the computer switching on"? That none of those malfunctions happens? 0.009472475 is the probability of at least one of those malfunctions happening and I have trouble reconciling that with "the computer switching on"!

My apologies maybe I should have stressed 0.009472 is the probability that the computer will be operational i.e will switch on i.e 1 - ((probability that the keyboard is damaged) + (probability that the cpu is faulty) + ( probability that the monitor will fail) - (p of monitor failing and keyboard failing) - p(keyboard damaged and cpu faulty) - p(cpu faulty and monitor damaged) - p(monitor fails and keyboard is damaged and cpu is faulty))

= 0.009472
 
  • #4
Are you serious? The probability of each of those failures is less than 1% yet you say that the probability that the computer will work at all is less than 1%?
What you have calculated is the probability that at least one of those things has gone wrong and so (I guess) that the computer will NOT turn on. That can, by the way, be done more simply: The probability that the monitor will not work is 0.005 so the probability the monitor WILL work is 0.995. The probability that the cpu will not work is 0.002 so the probability it WILL work is 0.998. The probability that the keyboard will not work is 0.0025 so the probability that it WILL work is 0.9975. That probability that everything will work is the product of those: (0.995)(0.998)(0.9975)= .990527 so the probability of at least one malfunction (the computer will NOT work) is 1- .990527= .009472, as you have.
 

Related to How Does Conditional Probability Affect the Chances of a Computer Starting?

What is conditional probability?

Conditional probability is a mathematical concept that measures the likelihood of an event occurring given that another event has already occurred. It is a way to express how the probability of an event changes when new information is taken into account.

How is conditional probability calculated?

Conditional probability is calculated by dividing the probability of the joint occurrence of two events by the probability of the first event. This can be represented by the formula P(A|B) = P(A and B)/P(B), where A and B are events and P(A|B) represents the probability of event A occurring given that event B has already occurred.

What is the difference between conditional probability and regular probability?

The main difference between regular probability and conditional probability is that regular probability considers the probability of an event occurring in isolation, while conditional probability takes into account additional information about the occurrence of another event. Regular probability is denoted by P(A), while conditional probability is denoted by P(A|B).

How is conditional probability used in real life?

Conditional probability is used in a variety of fields, including science, finance, and medicine. In science, it is used to assess the likelihood of certain outcomes in experiments. In finance, it is used in risk management and investment decision making. In medicine, it is used to determine the probability of a disease based on various symptoms.

What are some common misconceptions about conditional probability?

One common misconception about conditional probability is that it is the same as causation. However, just because two events are correlated does not necessarily mean that one caused the other. Another misconception is that conditional probability always decreases as more information is added, when in fact it can sometimes increase. It is important to carefully consider the information being used in calculating conditional probability to avoid these misconceptions.

Similar threads

  • Precalculus Mathematics Homework Help
Replies
6
Views
1K
  • Precalculus Mathematics Homework Help
Replies
5
Views
3K
  • Precalculus Mathematics Homework Help
Replies
9
Views
4K
  • Precalculus Mathematics Homework Help
Replies
7
Views
4K
  • Precalculus Mathematics Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • Precalculus Mathematics Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • Precalculus Mathematics Homework Help
Replies
11
Views
2K
  • Precalculus Mathematics Homework Help
Replies
23
Views
4K
  • Precalculus Mathematics Homework Help
Replies
12
Views
3K
  • Calculus and Beyond Homework Help
Replies
4
Views
1K
Back
Top