Is it right to condition a RV on dependent RV?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the conditional probability of two discrete random variables, X and B, where X is uniformly distributed over the integers 1 to 10, and B is defined based on the value of X. Specifically, B equals 1 if X is greater than 4 and 0 otherwise. The participants debate the validity of expressing P[X|B] given that B is dependent on X, concluding that such an expression may lead to recursive conditional probabilities, which complicates the interpretation of the relationship between the variables.

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Homework Statement



Let there be two discrete random variables:

[itex] X \in \lbrace 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 \rbrace \quad \text{where } P[X] \text{ is uniformly distributed over the sample space of } X \text{.}[/itex]

[itex] B = \left\lbrace<br /> \begin{array}{cl}<br /> 1 & \text{if} \quad X>4 \\<br /> 0 & \text{otherwise}\\<br /> \end{array}\right.[/itex]

[itex] P[B \mid X]=\left\lbrace<br /> \begin{array}{cl}<br /> 0 & \text{if} \quad x \in \lbrace 1,2,3,4 \rbrace\\<br /> 1 & \text{if} \quad x \in \lbrace 5,6,7,8,9,10 \rbrace\\<br /> \end{array}\right.[/itex]

[itex] P[X] = {1\over10} [/itex]

[itex] P[X,B] = P[B \mid X]P[X] = \left\lbrace<br /> \begin{array}{cl}<br /> 0 &\text{if} \quad x \in \lbrace 1,2,3,4 \rbrace\\<br /> {1\over 10} & \text{if} \quad x \in \lbrace 5,6,7,8,9,10 \rbrace\\<br /> \end{array}\right.[/itex]
The above should be agreeable. But what about:

[itex] P[X,B] = P[X \mid B]P<b><br /> </b>[/itex]

Since B is dependent on X, is it meaningful or even correct to write an expression for P[X|B]?

Homework Equations



The Attempt at a Solution


I think no because the conditional probability will then be recursive.
 
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It's perfectly ok to discuss the probability of an underlying event given an observation concerning it.
P[B=0] = 0.4
P[X=1|B=0] = 1/4
P[X=1 & B=0] = 0.1
etc.
 

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