Final Answer:
The probability of either event A or event B occurring, given that they are mutually exclusive, is equal to the sum of their individual probabilities. Therefore, P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B).
Step-by-step explanation:
Mutually exclusive events are events that cannot occur simultaneously. In such cases, the probability of either event A or event B occurring is calculated by summing their individual probabilities. Mathematically, P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B). This is because the occurrence of one event does not affect the occurrence of the other. For example, if you are rolling a six-sided die and event A is getting a 2, and event B is getting a 4, the probability of rolling either a 2 or a 4 is 1/6 + 1/6 = 1/3.
To further illustrate, consider a standard deck of playing cards. Let event A be drawing a red card, and event B be drawing a black card. Since a card cannot be both red and black at the same time, the probability of drawing either a red card or a black card is the sum of the probabilities of each individual event. In this case, P(A or B) = P(Red) + P(Black) = 26/52 + 26/52 = 1/2.
In summary, for mutually exclusive events A and B, the probability of either A or B occurring is found by adding the individual probabilities of A and B. This fundamental principle holds true across various probability scenarios, providing a straightforward approach to calculating probabilities for mutually exclusive events.