Final answer:
The additive rule of probability, also known as the addition rule, is used to calculate the probability of the occurrence of one event or the other event, of two mutually exclusive events.
Step-by-step explanation:
The additive rule of probability, also known as the addition rule, is used to calculate the probability of the occurrence of one event or the other event, of two mutually exclusive events. The rule states that the probability of the occurrence of either event A or event B is the sum of their individual probabilities minus the probability of both events occurring simultaneously. Mathematically, this can be represented as P(A OR B) = P(A) + P(B) - P(A AND B).
For example, if you are flipping a penny (P) and a quarter (Q) and want to know the probability of getting one head and one tail, you would apply the additive rule. The outcome can be achieved in two cases: the penny being heads (PH) and the quarter being tails (QT), or the quarter being heads (QH) and the penny being tails (PT). By calculating the probability for each case and summing them, you can find the total probability of getting one head and one tail.