Final answer:
The probability of being blood type A or B is the sum of the individual probabilities for each blood type, leading to a total probability of 5/8 or 0.625.
Step-by-step explanation:
The probability of being either blood type A or blood type B is the sum of the individual probabilities, considering that these events are mutually exclusive. Therefore, the direct answer in 2 lines is:
Probability(type A or type B) = Probability(type A) + Probability(type B) = 1/2 + 1/8 = 5/8 or 0.625.
In probability theory, when you want to find the probability of either one event or another happening, and those events cannot happen at the same time (they are mutually exclusive), you simply add the probabilities of each event. Since the probability of being blood type A is given as 1/2, and the probability of being blood type B is given as 1/8, the calculation is straightforward.
As these two blood types are distinct and someone cannot be both at the same time, their combined probability is the addition of the individual probabilities, which equates to 5/8 or 0.625. This calculation assumes that there are no overlaps in the probabilities, meaning no one can have both blood types simultaneously, which aligns with the biological understanding of blood types.