Math Problem Statement
Chang is taking a course in probability theory. Discussion sessions with the class TA (teaching assistant) conflict with Chang's trips to the beach. Chang has to decide between attending TA sessions, which might help him do better in the probability course, and going to the beach. Chang learns that 95% of past students who did not attend TA sessions received a grade of B or below in the course. Chang also learns that 13% of past students received a grade higher than B. After some thought, Chang decides to attend the TA sessions. Not all of his classmates share his decision; in fact, only 9 out of every 19 of his classmates attend discussion sessions with the TA. Compute the probability that Chang will receive a grade higher than a B in the course. Round your answer to two decimal places.
Solution
We are tasked with finding the probability that Chang will receive a grade higher than a B in his probability theory course, given that he attends TA sessions. To solve this, we will employ Bayes' Theorem, which is often used to find conditional probabilities.
Step 1: Define the Events
Let:
- : Chang receives a grade higher than B.
- : Chang attends the TA sessions.
- : Chang does not attend the TA sessions.
From the problem, we know the following:
- , meaning 95% of past students who did not attend TA sessions received a grade of B or below.
- Therefore, , meaning 5% of students who did not attend TA sessions received a grade higher than B.
- , meaning 13% of all students received a grade higher than B.
- , meaning 9 out of every 19 students attend TA sessions.
Step 2: Find
We are asked to compute the probability that Chang will receive a grade higher than B given that he attends TA sessions, . Using Bayes' Theorem, we can write:
First, we need to find , the probability that a student attends TA sessions given they received a grade higher than B.
Step 3: Use the Law of Total Probability to Find
To find , we use the law of total probability, taking into account both students who received a grade higher than B and those who did not:
But we do not yet know . Instead, we have enough information to calculate using an alternate form of Bayes' Theorem.
Step 4: Bayes’ Theorem Calculation
Using the information we have:
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Math Problem Analysis
Mathematical Concepts
Probability Theory
Conditional Probability
Bayes' Theorem
Formulas
Bayes' Theorem: P(A | D) = (P(D | A) * P(A)) / P(D)
Law of Total Probability: P(D) = P(D | A) * P(A) + P(D | A^c) * P(A^c)
Theorems
Bayes' Theorem
Law of Total Probability
Suitable Grade Level
College Level
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