36-217, Spring 2015

Homework 1
Due January, 22
REMEMBER TO WRITE YOUR NAME AND ANDREW ID ON THE FIRST PAGE OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Note: When you are asked to prove a result concerning set operations, attempt to use
abstract mathematical notation. Drawing Venn diagrams will certainly help, but you will
not receive full credit for a correct answer.
1. Find the simplest expression for the following sets
(a) (A B) (A B c )
(b) (A B) (Ac B) (A B c )
(c) (A B) (B C)
2. It is vital that a certain document reaches its destination on time. To maximize the chances of
on-time delivery, three copies of the document are sent using three different services. Define events
A1 , A2 , and A3 as follows:
A1 = {on-time delivery by service I}
A2 = {on-time delivery by service II}
A3 = {on time delivery by service III}.
Write expressions involving unions, intersections, and complements that describe the following events:
(a) The document reaches its destination on time (i.e., on-time delivery by at-least one of the three
services).
(b) The document reaches its destination on time only by service I and by service II (but not by
service III)
(c) The document reaches its destination on time by exactly one of the services.
(d) The document reaches its destination on-time by all three services.
(e) The document reaches its destination on time, but not by all three services.
3. Suppose that A B.
(a) Prove that B c Ac .
(b) The set difference B \ A of A from B is defined as
B \ A = B Ac .
Using the probability axioms, prove that P (B \ A) = P (B) P (A), for any probability law P .
4. The symmetric difference AB of two sets A and B of some sample space is
AB = (A B c ) (B Ac ).
(a) Draw the Venn diagram of AB assuming that A B 6= .
(b) Prove that, if A B = , AB = A B.
1

(c) Assume that A and B are events. Describe in words the event AB.
(d) If P is some probability law on some universe set containing A and B, prove that
P (AB) = P (A) + P (B) 2P (A B),
using the probability axioms.
5. Let A and B be two arbitrary events in and P a probability law. Show that
(a) A = (A B) (A B c ).
(b) P (A) = P (A B) + P (A B c ).
(c) P (A) = 1 P (Ac ).
(d) P (A B) = P (A) + P (B) P (A B);
6. A system is composed of 5 components, each of which is either working or failed. Consider an
experiment that consists of observing the status of each component, and let the outcome of the
experiment be given by the vector (x1 , x2 , x3 , x4 , x5 ), where xi is equal to 1 if component i is working
and 0 if component i is failed.
(a) How many outcomes are in the sample space of this experiment?
(b) Suppose that the system will function if components 1 and 2 are both working, or if components
3 and 4 are both working, or if component 1, 2 and 3 are all working. Let A the event that the
system will function. How many outcomes are contained in A (justify your answer)?
(c) Let B be the event that components 4 and 5 are both failed. How many outcomes are contained
in B (justify your answer)?
(d) List all the outcomes contained in A B.
7. The information you get with a certain prescription drug states:
There is 10% chance of experiencing headache (H).
There is 15% chance of experiencing nausea (N).
There is 5% chance of experiencing both side effects.
Below you can use the following fact: for any event A and B on the same universe set,
P (A B) = P (A) + P (B) P (A B).
(a) Are the events H and N disjoint?
(b) What is the probability of experiencing at least one of the two side effects?
(c) What is the probability of experiencing exactly one of the side effects?
(d) What is the probability of experiencing neither headache nor nausea?
8. Alice and Bob each choose at random a number between zero and two. Thus, the sample space of
this experiment is the set of all pairs of numbers (x, y) that are both between 0 and 2, i.e.
= {(x, y) : 0 x 2, 0 x 2},
which is the square with vertices (0, 0), (0, 2), (2, 0) and (2, 2). We assume a uniform probability law
under which the probability of an event is proportional to its area. Consider the following events:

A = {the magnitude of the difference of the two numbers is greater than 1/3}.
B = {at least one of the numbers is greater than 1/3}.
C = {the two numbers are equal}.
D = {Alices number is greater than 1/3}.
Draw the events A, B, C and D and compute the probabilities P (A), P (B), P (A B), P (C), P (D),
P (A D).
9. (DeMorgans law). Prove that
n
\

!c
Ai

i=1

n
[

Aci

i=1

where A1 , . . . , An are subsets of some universe set . This law actually applies to infinite collections
of subsets, so your proof should not rely in any way on the fact that there are only a finite number
of sets involved.
10. Alice and Bob are taking an advanced mathematics class. The probability that Bob will fail this class
is 0.7 and the probability that Alice will fail is 0.4. Determine the minimal and maximal possible
values of the probability that both Alice and Bob will fail the class.
11. An ordinary die is converted into a biased die in which the probability that a given number of dots
appears is proportional to the number of dots. What is the probability, in one roll of the die, that
an even number will turn up?