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NCERT Solutions · Class 12 · Chapter 13: Probability

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Maths Chapter 13 Exercise 13.1

Exercise 13.1: Conditional probability. \(P(E|F) = \dfrac{P(E \cap F)}{P(F)}\) (\(P(F) \ne 0\)): restrict the sample space to F. With equally likely outcomes, \(P(E|F) = \dfrac{n(E \cap F)}{n(F)}\). \(P(A \cup B) = P(A) + P(B) - P(A \cap B)\).

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Exercise 13.1 questions and solutions

Exercise 13.1, Question 1

\(P(E) = 0.6\), \(P(F) = 0.3\), \(P(E \cap F) = 0.2\). Find \(P(E|F)\) and \(P(F|E)\).
Show solution
  1. \(P(E|F) = \dfrac{0.2}{0.3}\), \(P(F|E) = \dfrac{0.2}{0.6}\).
Answer: \(P(E|F) = \tfrac23\), \(P(F|E) = \tfrac13\)

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Exercise 13.1, Question 3

\(P(A) = 0.8\), \(P(B) = 0.5\), \(P(B|A) = 0.4\). Find:
(i) \(P(A \cap B)\)
Show solution
  1. \(P(A)P(B|A) = 0.8 \times 0.4\).
Answer: \(0.32\)
(ii) \(P(A|B)\)
Show solution
  1. \(\dfrac{0.32}{0.5}\).
Answer: \(0.64\)
(iii) \(P(A \cup B)\)
Show solution
  1. \(0.8 + 0.5 - 0.32\).
Answer: \(0.98\)

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Exercise 13.1, Question 4

Find \(P(A \cup B)\) if \(2P(A) = P(B) = \tfrac{5}{13}\) and \(P(A|B) = \tfrac25\).
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  1. \(P(A) = \tfrac{5}{26}\); \[\begin{aligned}P(A \cap B) &= P(A|B)P(B) \\ &= \tfrac25 \cdot \tfrac{5}{13} \\ &= \tfrac{2}{13}\end{aligned}\]
  2. \[P(A \cup B) = \tfrac{5}{26} + \tfrac{10}{26} - \tfrac{4}{26}\]
Answer: \(\tfrac{11}{26}\)

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Exercise 13.1, Question 5

\(P(A) = \tfrac{6}{11}\), \(P(B) = \tfrac{5}{11}\), \(P(A \cup B) = \tfrac{7}{11}\). Find:
(i) \(P(A \cap B)\)
Show solution
  1. \[\tfrac{6}{11} + \tfrac{5}{11} - \tfrac{7}{11}\]
Answer: \(\tfrac{4}{11}\)
(ii) \(P(A|B)\)
Show solution
  1. \(\dfrac{4/11}{5/11}\).
Answer: \(\tfrac45\)
(iii) \(P(B|A)\)
Show solution
  1. \(\dfrac{4/11}{6/11}\).
Answer: \(\tfrac23\)

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Exercise 13.1, Question 6

A coin is tossed three times. Find \(P(E|F)\) for:
(i) E: head on the third toss; F: heads on the first two tosses
Show solution
  1. \(F = \{HHH, HHT\}\), \(E \cap F = \{HHH\}\).
Answer: \(\tfrac12\)
(ii) E: at least two heads; F: at most two heads
Show solution
  1. F has 7 outcomes (all but HHH); \(E \cap F = \{HHT, HTH, THH\}\).
Answer: \(\tfrac37\)
(iii) E: at most two tails; F: at least one tail
Show solution
  1. F: all but HHH (7 outcomes); \(E \cap F\): all but HHH and TTT (6 outcomes).
Answer: \(\tfrac67\)

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Exercise 13.1, Question 7

Two coins are tossed once. Find \(P(E|F)\) for:
(i) E: a tail on one coin (exactly one); F: one coin shows a head
Show solution
  1. \(E = F = \{HT, TH\}\).
Answer: 1
(ii) E: no tail; F: no head
Show solution
  1. \(E = \{HH\}\), \(F = \{TT\}\), \(E \cap F = \emptyset\).
Answer: 0

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Exercise 13.1, Question 8

A die is thrown three times. E: 4 on the third toss; F: 6 and 5 on the first two tosses, in that order. Find \(P(E|F)\).
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  1. F has 6 outcomes \((6, 5, k)\); one of them has \(k = 4\).
Answer: \(\tfrac16\)

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Exercise 13.1, Question 9

Mother, father and son line up at random. E: son at one end; F: father in the middle. Find \(P(E|F)\).
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  1. F: MFS, SFM. In both, the son is at an end.
Answer: 1

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Exercise 13.1, Question 10

A black and a red die are rolled.
(a) Find the probability of a sum greater than 9, given the black die shows 5.
Show solution
  1. Given black = 5, the red die must show 5 or 6.
Answer: \(\tfrac13\)
(b) Find the probability of the sum 8, given the red die shows a number less than 4.
Show solution
  1. 18 outcomes have red \(\in \{1, 2, 3\}\); sum 8 needs black 6 with red 2, or black 5 with red 3.
Answer: \(\tfrac19\)

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Exercise 13.1, Question 11

A fair die is rolled; \(E = \{1, 3, 5\}\), \(F = \{2, 3\}\), \(G = \{2, 3, 4, 5\}\). Find:
(i) \(P(E|F)\) and \(P(F|E)\)
Show solution
  1. \(E \cap F = \{3\}\): \(\tfrac{1}{2}\) and \(\tfrac13\).
Answer: \(\tfrac12,\ \tfrac13\)
(ii) \(P(E|G)\) and \(P(G|E)\)
Show solution
  1. \(E \cap G = \{3, 5\}\): \(\tfrac24\) and \(\tfrac23\).
Answer: \(\tfrac12,\ \tfrac23\)
(iii) \(P((E \cup F)|G)\) and \(P((E \cap F)|G)\)
Show solution
  1. \(E \cup F = \{1, 2, 3, 5\}\), and with G: \(\{2, 3, 5\}\): \(\tfrac34\).
  2. \(E \cap F = \{3\}\), with G: \(\{3\}\): \(\tfrac14\).
Answer: \(\tfrac34,\ \tfrac14\)

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Exercise 13.1, Question 12

A family has two children, each equally likely to be a boy or a girl. Find the probability that both are girls given that:
(i) the youngest is a girl
Show solution
  1. Outcomes (elder, younger) with younger G: BG, GG.
Answer: \(\tfrac12\)
(ii) at least one is a girl
Show solution
  1. BG, GB, GG.
Answer: \(\tfrac13\)

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Exercise 13.1, Question 13

A bank has 300 easy and 200 difficult true/false questions, and 500 easy and 400 difficult multiple choice questions. Find the probability that a random question is easy, given that it is multiple choice.
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  1. \(\dfrac{500}{500 + 400}\).
Answer: \(\tfrac59\)

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Exercise 13.1, Question 14

Two dice show different numbers. Find the probability that the sum is 4.
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  1. 30 outcomes have different numbers; sum 4 with different numbers: \((1, 3), (3, 1)\).
Answer: \(\tfrac{1}{15}\)

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Exercise 13.1, Question 15

A die is thrown; on a multiple of 3 it is thrown again, otherwise a coin is tossed. Find the probability that the coin shows a tail, given that at least one die shows a 3.
Show solution
  1. If a die shows 3, the first throw was 3 or 6 and the second step was a die, not a coin.
  2. So 'coin shows tail' and 'at least one die shows 3' cannot happen together.
Answer: 0

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Exercise 13.1, Question 16

If \(P(A) = \tfrac12\), \(P(B) = 0\), then \(P(A|B)\) is: (A) 0 (B) \(\tfrac12\) (C) not defined (D) 1
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  1. \(P(A|B)\) needs \(P(B) \ne 0\).
Answer: (C)

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Exercise 13.1, Question 17

If \(P(A|B) = P(B|A)\), then: (A) \(A \subset B\), \(A \ne B\) (B) \(A = B\) (C) \(A \cap B = \emptyset\) (D) \(P(A) = P(B)\)
Show solution
  1. \[\dfrac{P(A \cap B)}{P(B)} = \dfrac{P(A \cap B)}{P(A)}\], so (when \(P(A \cap B) \ne 0\)) \(P(A) = P(B)\).
Answer: (D)

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Done the NCERT exercises? The board paper asks more

Probability has 39 original board-style questions (MCQ, assertion–reason, short and long answers, case studies) with step mark schemes, revision notes and a four-step Route to 95. Three sample questions are open to everyone; a free account opens the rest.

Probability in our sample papers: Sample paper 1 (questions 18, 20, 25, 36) · Sample paper 2 (questions 20, 31, 38) · Sample paper 3 (questions 18, 20, 25, 36) · Sample paper 4 (questions 20, 31, 38) · Sample paper 5 (questions 18, 20, 25, 36).

Also useful: free MCQs and case studies for Probability · formulas for this chapter (Class 12 formula sheet, free PDF) · official CBSE board and sample papers · our sample papers with marking scheme · the Route to 95 plan

Textbook: NCERT Mathematics Class 12, Parts I and II (rationalised edition, 2023-24 reprint onward), free from ncert.nic.in. Question statements are shortened to the minimum needed; the solutions and tips are our own. CBSE Math Revision is independent and not affiliated with NCERT or CBSE. Spotted a slip? Tell us and it goes in the corrections log.