Question

Assume that we have two events, A and B, that are mutually exclusive. Assume further that we know P(A) = 0.20 and P(B) = 0.50. What is the probability of either event A or event B occurring?

1) 0.70
2) 0.30
3) 0.50
4) 0.20

Answer 1

To find the probability of either event A or B occurring when they are mutually exclusive, one simply adds their probabilities together, resulting in a probability of 0.70 for this specific question.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject of this question is Probability, a branch of Mathematics. When we have two events, A and B, that are mutually exclusive, it means that they cannot occur at the same time. Therefore, the probability of A and B occurring together, P(A AND B), is zero. The probability of either A or B occurring, which is P(A OR B), is equal to the sum of the probabilities of each event on its own because they cannot overlap. Given P(A) = 0.20 and P(B) = 0.50, the probability of either A or B occurring is:

P(A OR B) = P(A) + P(B) = 0.20 + 0.50 = 0.70.

Thus, the answer is option 1) 0.70.