Math Problem Statement

The table below shows the number of survey subjects who have received and not received a speeding ticket in the last year, and the color of their cars. Speeding Ticket No Speeding Ticket Total Red Car 144 171 315 Not Red Car 106 191 297 Total 250 362 612 Find the probability that a randomly chosen person:

a) Has a speeding ticket.

b) Has a red car or got a speeding ticket. Write your answers in decimal form, rounded to the nearest thousandth.

Solution

Let's solve each part of the problem step by step.


Part a) Probability that a randomly chosen person has a speeding ticket:

The total number of people surveyed is 612612, and the total number of people who received a speeding ticket is 250250.

P(Speeding Ticket)=Number of people with speeding ticketsTotal number of people surveyedP(\text{Speeding Ticket}) = \frac{\text{Number of people with speeding tickets}}{\text{Total number of people surveyed}}

P(Speeding Ticket)=250612P(\text{Speeding Ticket}) = \frac{250}{612}

P(Speeding Ticket)0.408P(\text{Speeding Ticket}) \approx 0.408


Part b) Probability that a randomly chosen person has a red car or got a speeding ticket:

To calculate this, we use the formula for the union of two events:

P(Red Car or Speeding Ticket)=P(Red Car)+P(Speeding Ticket)P(Red Car and Speeding Ticket)P(\text{Red Car or Speeding Ticket}) = P(\text{Red Car}) + P(\text{Speeding Ticket}) - P(\text{Red Car and Speeding Ticket})

Step 1: Find P(Red Car)P(\text{Red Car})

The total number of people with red cars is 315315, and the total surveyed is 612612.

P(Red Car)=3156120.515P(\text{Red Car}) = \frac{315}{612} \approx 0.515

Step 2: Use P(Speeding Ticket)P(\text{Speeding Ticket})

We already calculated this in part (a) as 0.4080.408.

Step 3: Find P(Red Car and Speeding Ticket)P(\text{Red Car and Speeding Ticket})

The number of people with red cars and speeding tickets is 144144.

P(Red Car and Speeding Ticket)=1446120.235P(\text{Red Car and Speeding Ticket}) = \frac{144}{612} \approx 0.235

Step 4: Calculate P(Red Car or Speeding Ticket)P(\text{Red Car or Speeding Ticket})

Substitute the values:

P(Red Car or Speeding Ticket)=0.515+0.4080.235P(\text{Red Car or Speeding Ticket}) = 0.515 + 0.408 - 0.235

P(Red Car or Speeding Ticket)0.688P(\text{Red Car or Speeding Ticket}) \approx 0.688


Final Answers:

a) Probability that a randomly chosen person has a speeding ticket:

0.408\boxed{0.408}

b) Probability that a randomly chosen person has a red car or got a speeding ticket:

0.688\boxed{0.688}


Would you like additional clarification or details? Here are related questions for exploration:

  1. What is the probability that a randomly chosen person has a red car and no speeding ticket?
  2. What is the probability of not having a red car or a speeding ticket?
  3. How does the probability of having a speeding ticket differ between red cars and non-red cars?
  4. What is the conditional probability of having a speeding ticket given the person has a red car?
  5. How would the results change if the number of red cars increased by 10%?

Tip: To better understand probabilities involving "or," remember the inclusion-exclusion principle to avoid overcounting overlapping events.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Probability
Basic Statistics
Inclusion-Exclusion Principle

Formulas

Probability formula: P(Event) = (Number of favorable outcomes) / (Total number of outcomes)
Inclusion-Exclusion Principle: P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) - P(A and B)

Theorems

Inclusion-Exclusion Principle

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 9-12