Math Problem Statement

A certain virus affects 0.8% of the population. A test used to detect the virus in a person is positive 85% of the time if the person has the virus (true positive) and 12% of the time if the person does not have the virus (false postive). Fill out the remainder of the following table and use it to answer the two questions below. Infected Not Infected Total Positive Test Negative Test Total 800 99,200 100,000 a) Find the probability that a person has the virus given that they have tested positive. Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a percent and do not include a percent sign. P(Infected | Positive Test)= % b) Find the probability that a person does not have the virus given that they test negative. Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a percent and do not include a percent sign. P(Not Infected | Negative Test) = %

Solution

Let's solve the problem using the given data and Bayes' Theorem.

Step 1: Organize the data

We are given that the total population is 100,000 people:

  • 800 are infected (0.8% of the population)
  • 99,200 are not infected (the remaining population)

We also have:

  • The test has an 85% true positive rate (P(Positive Test | Infected) = 0.85)
  • The test has a 12% false positive rate (P(Positive Test | Not Infected) = 0.12)

Now, let's fill out the contingency table.

Step 2: Calculate the number of people in each category

a) Positive Test:

  • For infected individuals, 85% will test positive. So: Positive Test and Infected=800×0.85=680\text{Positive Test and Infected} = 800 \times 0.85 = 680
  • For not infected individuals, 12% will test positive. So: Positive Test and Not Infected=99,200×0.12=11,904\text{Positive Test and Not Infected} = 99,200 \times 0.12 = 11,904

Total number of positive tests: Total Positive Tests=680+11,904=12,584\text{Total Positive Tests} = 680 + 11,904 = 12,584

b) Negative Test:

  • For infected individuals, 15% will test negative (since 100% - 85% = 15%). So: Negative Test and Infected=800×0.15=120\text{Negative Test and Infected} = 800 \times 0.15 = 120
  • For not infected individuals, 88% will test negative (since 100% - 12% = 88%). So: Negative Test and Not Infected=99,200×0.88=87,296\text{Negative Test and Not Infected} = 99,200 \times 0.88 = 87,296

Total number of negative tests: Total Negative Tests=120+87,296=87,416\text{Total Negative Tests} = 120 + 87,296 = 87,416

Step 3: Complete the table

InfectedNot InfectedTotal
Positive Test68011,90412,584
Negative Test12087,29687,416
Total80099,200100,000

Step 4: Calculate the required probabilities

a) Probability that a person has the virus given that they have tested positive:

This is P(InfectedPositive Test)P(\text{Infected} | \text{Positive Test}), and we use the formula: P(InfectedPositive Test)=P(Infected and Positive Test)P(Positive Test)P(\text{Infected} | \text{Positive Test}) = \frac{P(\text{Infected and Positive Test})}{P(\text{Positive Test})} Substitute the values: P(InfectedPositive Test)=68012,5840.0541P(\text{Infected} | \text{Positive Test}) = \frac{680}{12,584} \approx 0.0541

Rounding to the nearest tenth of a percent: P(InfectedPositive Test)5.4%P(\text{Infected} | \text{Positive Test}) \approx 5.4\%

b) Probability that a person does not have the virus given that they test negative:

This is P(Not InfectedNegative Test)P(\text{Not Infected} | \text{Negative Test}), and we use the formula: P(Not InfectedNegative Test)=P(Not Infected and Negative Test)P(Negative Test)P(\text{Not Infected} | \text{Negative Test}) = \frac{P(\text{Not Infected and Negative Test})}{P(\text{Negative Test})} Substitute the values: P(Not InfectedNegative Test)=87,29687,4160.9986P(\text{Not Infected} | \text{Negative Test}) = \frac{87,296}{87,416} \approx 0.9986

Rounding to the nearest tenth of a percent: P(Not InfectedNegative Test)99.9%P(\text{Not Infected} | \text{Negative Test}) \approx 99.9\%

Final Answers:

  • P(InfectedPositive Test)=5.4%P(\text{Infected} | \text{Positive Test}) = 5.4\%
  • P(Not InfectedNegative Test)=99.9%P(\text{Not Infected} | \text{Negative Test}) = 99.9\%

Would you like further details or have any questions about the process?

Here are some related questions to explore:

  1. How does changing the false positive rate affect the results?
  2. How does the prevalence of the virus in the population affect the probabilities?
  3. What would happen if the test had a 100% accuracy for infected individuals?
  4. How would the results change if only 0.5% of the population were infected?
  5. What are the implications of the false positive rate in large-scale testing?

Tip: The accuracy of a test depends not only on its sensitivity (true positive rate) but also on the prevalence of the condition in the population and the false positive rate.

Ask a new question for Free

By Image

Drop file here or Click Here to upload

Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Probability
Bayes' Theorem
Conditional Probability

Formulas

P(Infected | Positive Test) = P(Infected and Positive Test) / P(Positive Test)
P(Not Infected | Negative Test) = P(Not Infected and Negative Test) / P(Negative Test)

Theorems

Bayes' Theorem

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 11-12