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What is the probability that a person in the United States has type B blood?

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Final answer:

About one in nine people in the United States have type B blood. For a group of 100 people, approximately 11 individuals would be expected to have type B blood. Statistical distributions such as the Poisson and exponential are used to calculate the related probabilities.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to the probability of individuals in the United States having type B blood, and how the distribution of blood types can be analyzed using statistical models. According to the American Red Cross, about one out of nine people in the United States have type B blood. This means that for a group of 100 people, on average 100/9 or approximately 11 individuals would be expected to have type B blood. The probability of more than 10 people out of these 100 having type B blood can be determined using a Poisson distribution or similar statistical method.

Moreover, if we're considering the scenario where we are waiting for a person with type B blood to arrive at a blood drive, the number of people arriving before someone with type B blood shows up follows an exponential distribution with a mean (μ) of 9. To find the probability that more than 20 people arrive before a person with type B blood is found, one would apply the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of an exponential distribution.

In terms of increased susceptibility of individuals with type A/B blood in the context of the antigen-antibody model of specific immune response, it can be hypothesized that these blood types may have specific antigens on the surface of their red blood cells that affect immune recognition. Data that could be used to test this hypothesis could include the rate of infection or severity of symptoms in individuals with different blood types exposed to the same pathogen.

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