Question

Let a denote the event that the next request for assistance from a statistical software consultant relates to the SPSS package, and let b be the event that the next request is for help. What is the relationship between events a and b?

1) a and b are mutually exclusive events
2) a and b are independent events
3) a and b are dependent events
4) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

The correct relationship between event a (assistance with the SPSS package) and event b (request for help) is that they are dependent events, because the occurrence of one provides information about the occurrence of the other.

Step-by-step explanation:

When considering the events a, which denotes the request for assistance with the SPSS package, and b, which represents the request for help, we must look at their relationship. If knowing whether event a has occurred gives us information about the likelihood of event b occurring, or vice versa, then the events are considered dependent. Since any request for assistance (event b) can include help with SPSS (event a), and any help with SPSS is certainly a request for help, these two events are not independent. They cannot be mutually exclusive because if a happens, b automatically happens as well. Hence, the correct relationship between events a and b is that they are dependent events.