Math Problem Statement

In a class of students, the following data table summarizes how many students have a brother or a sister. What is the probability that a student chosen randomly from the class has a sister?

Solution

Let's solve this step by step:

Problem Breakdown:

We are given a contingency table summarizing the students in a class based on whether they have a brother or a sister. The goal is to find the probability that a randomly chosen student has a sister.

Data Table Recap:

Has a BrotherDoes Not Have a BrotherTotal
Has a Sister268
Does Not Have a Sister15722
Total171330

Step 1: Identify the Total Number of Students

The total number of students in the class is: 3030

Step 2: Identify the Number of Students Who Have a Sister

From the first row of the table, the number of students who have a sister is: 2+6=82 + 6 = 8

Step 3: Calculate the Probability

The probability that a randomly chosen student has a sister is given by: P(Has a sister)=Number of students who have a sisterTotal number of studentsP(\text{Has a sister}) = \frac{\text{Number of students who have a sister}}{\text{Total number of students}}

Substitute the values: P(Has a sister)=830P(\text{Has a sister}) = \frac{8}{30}

Simplify: P(Has a sister)=415P(\text{Has a sister}) = \frac{4}{15}

Final Answer:

The probability that a randomly chosen student has a sister is: 415\boxed{\frac{4}{15}}


Would you like me to explain any step in more detail? Here are 5 questions related to this problem:

  1. How is the probability calculated for "does not have a sister"?
  2. How do we calculate joint probabilities using a contingency table?
  3. What is the probability that a student has both a sister and a brother?
  4. How can this be extended to conditional probabilities (e.g., has a sister given they have a brother)?
  5. How would the probabilities change if the table entries were different?

Tip:

Always verify totals in contingency tables by summing rows and columns—they must match the grand total!

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Probability
Data Analysis
Contingency Tables

Formulas

P(Event) = Number of favorable outcomes / Total number of outcomes

Theorems

Basic Probability Theorem

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 7-9