Math Problem Statement
A certain disease has an incidence rate of 0.2%. If the false negative rate is 8% and the false positive rate is 4%, compute the probability that a person who tests positive actually has the disease.
Solution
This problem involves calculating the probability that a person who tests positive for a disease actually has the disease. This is a classic example of applying Bayes' Theorem.
Let's define the following:
- = Probability that a person has the disease = 0.2% = 0.002
- = Probability that a person does not have the disease = 1 - 0.002 = 0.998
- = Probability of testing positive given the person has the disease = 1 - false negative rate = 1 - 0.08 = 0.92
- = Probability of testing positive given the person does not have the disease = false positive rate = 0.04
- = Total probability of testing positive (to be computed).
We are asked to find the probability that a person who tests positive actually has the disease, which is:
To calculate , we use the law of total probability: Substituting the known values:
Now, using Bayes' Theorem:
Thus, the probability that a person who tests positive actually has the disease is approximately 4.41%.
Would you like further details on this process, or have any questions?
Here are 5 related questions you might explore:
- How does increasing the false negative rate affect the probability of having the disease given a positive test result?
- How does increasing the incidence rate of the disease change the outcome?
- What would the probability be if the false positive rate were reduced to 2%?
- How can Bayes' Theorem be applied to non-medical scenarios, such as spam detection?
- What is the impact of testing sensitivity and specificity on disease detection rates?
Tip: When dealing with medical tests, remember that the incidence rate (or prior probability) heavily influences the probability of having a condition given a positive test result.
Ask a new question for Free
By Image
Drop file here or Click Here to upload
Math Problem Analysis
Mathematical Concepts
Probability
Conditional Probability
Bayes' Theorem
Formulas
P(D | Pos) = (P(Pos | D) * P(D)) / P(Pos)
P(Pos) = P(Pos | D) * P(D) + P(Pos | ¬D) * P(¬D)
Theorems
Bayes' Theorem
Law of Total Probability
Suitable Grade Level
Grades 10-12
Related Recommendation
Calculating Probability Using Bayes' Theorem for Disease Testing
Bayes' Theorem and Conditional Probability in Medical Testing
Calculating Disease Probability Using Bayes' Theorem with False Positives and Negatives
Bayes' Theorem Application: Probability of Having Disease Given a Positive Test Result
Bayes' Theorem: Virus Detection Test Accuracy