COMPLETE ENGINEERING REVIEW & TRAINING CENTER

Topic: Probability
14. In the game of poker 5 cards are drawn from a pack of 52
SAMPLE PROBLEMS well-shuffled cards. Find the probability that 3 are of any
1. Roll a pair of dice one time. What is the probability of one suit and 2 are of another.
getting a sum of 8? 15. In a survey of 120 reviewees, 80 students enrolled at
2. A number from 1 to 1000 (inclusive) is randomly selected. review center A, 60 students reviewed at review center B,
What is the probability that it will be divisible by 4 and 5? and 20 students enrolled in both review center. If a
student is selected at random, what is the probability that
3. A committee of 5 is to be selected from a group of 6 men he enrolled in review center A given that he enrolled in
and 9 women. If the selection is made randomly, what is review center B?
the probability that the committee consists of 3 men and
two women? 16. In a certain group of people, it is known that 40% of the
people take Vitamins C and E on a daily basis. It is known
4. 5 cards are randomly selected without replacement from that 75% take Vitamin C on a daily basis. If a person is
an ordinary deck of playing cards. What is the probability selected at random, what is the probability that the person
of getting exactly 2 red cards? takes Vitamin E given that the person takes Vitamin C?
5. If the odds against event E are 2:7, find the probability of 17. Three machines A, B, and C produce respectively 50%,
success. 30%, and 20% of the total number of items of a factory.
6. If a man purchases a raffle ticket, he can win a first prize The percentages of defective output of these machines
of P5000 or a second prize of P2000 with probabilities are 3%, 4%, and 5%.
0.001 and 0.003. What should be a fair price to pay for the a.) If an item is selected at random, find the probability
ticket? that the item is defective.
7. One card is drawn from a standard deck of 52 playing b.) If an item is selected at random and is found defective,
cards. What is the probability that the card drawn is either what is the probability it was produced by machine A?
a heart or a spade card?
18. In certain city, 30 percent of all cars emit excessive
8. One card is drawn from a standard deck of 52 playing amounts of pollutants. The probability is 0.95 that a car
cards. What is the probability that the card drawn is either emitting excessive amounts of pollutants will fail the
a heart or a face card? state’s vehicular emission test, and the probability is 0.15
9. A single card is drawn from a standard 52- card deck. that a car not emitting excessive amounts of pollutants will
Determine the probability that the single card drawn is a also fail the test. If a car fails the emission test, what is the
four, a five or a spade. probability that it actually emits excessive amounts of
emissions?
10. John draws two cards from a pack of playing cards (jokers
excluded). If John will not replace the first drawn card 19. In a family of four children, what is the probability of
back to the pack before drawing the second card, what is having a set of three and one (i.e. three sons and a
the probability that both cards are face cards? daughter or three daughters and a son)?
11. A bag contains 3 white balls and 5 black balls. If two balls 20. Find the probability that a couple having 3 children will
are drawn in succession without replacement, what is the have at least one girl.
probability that both balls are black? 21. If the probability that a missile will hit the target is 3/5, find
12. A box contains 4 black balls and 6 white balls. What is the the probability of exactly 4 hits out of 6 tries.
probability of getting one black ball and one white ball in 22. From past experience, it is known that 90% of one-year-
two consecutive draws from the box without replacing the old children can distinguish their mother’s voice from the
ball every after drawing?
voice of a similar sounding female. A random sample of
13. In the game of poker 5 cards are drawn from a pack of 52 25 one year-old children are given this voice recognition
well-shuffled cards. Find the probability that 4 are aces. test. Find the probability that all 25 children recognize their
mother’s voice.

ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS Prepared by: Engr. George Ezar Namoc Quiriado

 COMPLETE ENGINEERING REVIEW & TRAINING CENTER
Topic: Probability
23. A manufacturer has determined that a certain machine 32. A fair coin is tossed repeatedly until it comes up heads.
averages one faulty resistor for every 1000 it produces. What is the probability that the first head occurs on the
What is the probability that an order of 200 resistors will fifth toss?
have one or more faulty resistors?
33. A person conducting telephone surveys must get 3 more
24. If the probability that the average freshman will not completed surveys before their job is finished. On each
complete 5 years of an engineering course is 2/5, what is randomly dialed number, there is 9% chance of reaching
the probability that in every 4 freshmen at least 3 will an adult who will complete the survey. What is the
complete the 5-year course? probability the 3rd completed survey occurs in the 10th call.
25. A receptionist in a certain call center receives an average 34. The final scores of students in a graduating course are
of 1 phone call per hour. What is the probability that she distributed normally with a mean of 72 and a standard
will receive no phone call next hour? deviation of 10. What is the probability that a student’s
score will be below 65?
26. Suppose that the average number of telephone calls
arriving at the switch board of a small telecommunication 35. The final scores of students in a graduating course are
company is 30 calls per hour. What is the probability that distributed normally with a mean of 72 and a standard
no calls will arrive in the next 3 minutes? deviation of 10. What is the probability that a student’s
score will be above 78?
27. At a telephone enquiry system the number of phone calls
regarding relevant enquiry follow Poisson distribution with 36. The final scores of students in a graduating course are
an average of 5 phone calls during 10–minute time distributed normally with a mean of 72 and a standard
intervals. What is the probability that there is at most one deviation of 10. What is the probability that a student’s
phone call during a 10–minute time period. score will be between 65 and 78?
28. Suppose a card is drawn randomly from an ordinary deck 37. The final scores of students in a graduating course are
of playing cards, and then put back in the deck. This distributed normally with a mean of 72 and a standard
exercise is repeated five times. What is the probability of deviation of 10. What is the probability that a student’s
drawing 1 spade, 1 heart, 1 diamond, and 2 clubs? score will be below 65 or above 78?
29. The probabilities that a page of a training manual will have 38. Suppose the temperature during June is normally
0, 1, 2, or 3 typographical errors are 0.75, 0.15, 0.10, and distributed with mean 68º and standard deviation 6º. Find
0.05 respectively. If 6 pages are randomly selected, the the probability that the temperature is between 70º and
probability that 2 will contain no errors, 2 will contain one 80º.
error, one will contain 2 errors, and one will contain 3
39. Each of the two triangles in the figure shown has an area
errors is
of 12 cm2. The dimensions of the rectangle in the middle
30. A certain union chapter has 32 male and 26 female of the figure are 10 cm by 4 cm. If a point is selected at
members. An important committee of 7 people needs to random inside the figure, what is the probability that the
be struck. The presidents says they will randomly select 7 point will be inside the rectangle as well?
of the members to be on the committee.
A. What is probability there are exactly 6 women on the
committee?
B. What is probability there at least 6 women on the 40. A point is selected at random inside a circle. Find the
committee? probability that the point is closer to the center of the circle
C. What is probability there at most 6 women on the than to its circumference?
committee?
31. Juliana randomly presses letter keys on Mr. Garvin’s
laptop one at a time. What is the probability that the third
press will be the first vowel?

ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS Prepared by: Engr. George Ezar Namoc Quiriado

 COMPLETE ENGINEERING REVIEW & TRAINING CENTER
Topic: Probability

TAKE HOME EXAM 8. In a class, 40% of the students study math and science.
60% of the students study math. What is the probability of
1. If a coin is tossed ten times then what will be the a student studying science given he/she is already
probability for getting 7 heads and 3 tails in 10 tosses? studying math?
A. 15/128 * C. 15/ 127 A. 1/3 C. 2/3 *
B. 17/128 D. 17/127 B. 3/4 D. 1/2
2. In an exam only ten percent students can qualify. If a
9. What is the probability of the occurrence of a number that
group of 4 students have appeared, find the probability
is odd or less than 5 when a fair die is rolled?
that at most one student will qualify?
A. 1/6 C. 5/6*
A. 0.927 C. 0.546
B. 1/3 D. 2/3
B. 0.729 * D. 0.645
10. Two cards are drawn together from a pack of 52 cards.
3. In a restaurant seventy percent of people order for The probability that one is a spade and one is a heart, is:
Chinese food and thirty percent for Italian food. A group of
three persons enter the restaurant. Find the probability of A. 3/20 B. 29/34
at least two of them ordering for Italian food. B. 47/100 D. 13/102*
11. A bag contains blue and red balls. Two balls are drawn
A. 0.72 C. 0.27 * randomly without replacement. The probability of selecting
B. 0.54 D. 0.45 a blue and then a red ball is 0.2. The probability of
4. Suppose that 10% of inmates in a large prison are known selecting a blue ball in the first draw is 0.5. What is the
to be innocent. A non-profit group randomly selects 20 probability of drawing a red ball, given that the first ball
inmates from this prison. Find the probability the group will drawn was blue?
find at least 3 innocent inmates.
A. 0.4 * C. 0.2
A. 0.323 * C. 0.435
B. 0.1 D. 0.5
B. 0.896 D. 0.765
12. Consider another example where a pack contains 4 blue,
5. During a severe thunderstorm, any transmission line is
2 red and 3 black pens. If a pen is drawn at random from
damaged with probability 0.04, independently of other
the pack, replaced and the process repeated 2 more
transmission lines. A city with 75 transmission lines is hit
times, What is the probability of drawing 2 blue pens and 1
by a severe thunderstorm. What is the probability that at
black pen?
least 5 of them get damaged?
A. 16/243 * C. 17/243
A. 0.815 C. 0.185 *
B. 16/343 D. 17/343
B. 0.518 D. 0.158
13. A pack contains 4 blue, 2 red and 3 black pens. If 2 pens
6. Each computer in a lab has a 15% chance to be infected
are drawn at random from the pack, NOT replaced and
with a virus. If a computer is infected, an antivirus software
then another pen is drawn. What is the probability of
finds the virus with probability 0.9. If a computer is not
drawing 2 blue pens and 1 black pen?
infected, the software will still generate a false alarm and
report a virus with probability 0.10. If the antivirus software A. 1/14 * C. 3/14
reports a virus, what is the probability that indeed, the B. 5/14 D. 9/14
computer is infected? 14. Tickets numbered 1 to 20 are mixed up and then a ticket
A. 29/44 C. 27/44 * is drawn at random. What is the probability that the ticket
B. 7/25 D. 9/25 drawn has a number which is a multiple of 3 or 5?

A. 1/2 C. 2/5
7. the probability that a single person gets a test value B. 8/15 D. 9/20 *
between 74 and 78 for their exam score. Assume that the
15. A bag contains 2 red, 3 green and 2 blue balls. Two balls
exams are normally distributed with a mean of 82 and a
are drawn at random. What is the probability that none of
standard deviation of 4.
the balls drawn is blue?
A. 0.2359 C. 0.1359*
A. 10/21* C. 11/21
B. 0.3359 D. 0.4359
B. 2/7 D. 5/7

ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS Prepared by: Engr. George Ezar Namoc Quiriado

 COMPLETE ENGINEERING REVIEW & TRAINING CENTER
Topic: Probability
16. From a pack of 52 cards, two cards are drawn together at
A. 8157/17,296 * C. 7815/17,296
random. What is the probability of both the cards being
B. 8157/17,692 D. 7815/17,692
kings?
A. 1/15 C. 25/57 24. We have two boxes. The first contains two green balls and
B. 35/256 D. 1/221 * seven red balls; the second contains four green balls and
three red balls. Bob selects a ball by first choosing one of
17. From a bag containing 4 black balls and 5 white balls, two the two boxes at random. He then selects one of the balls
balls are drawn one at a time. Find the probability that in this box at random. If Bob has selected a red ball, what
both balls are black. Assume that the 1st ball is returned is the probability that he selected a ball from the first box?
before the second ball is drawn.
A. 0.546 C. 0.654
A. 4/9 C. 16/81 * B. 0.645 * D. 0.564
B. 1/6 D. 5/9
25. The probability is 0.02 that an item produced by a factory
18. A bag contains 6 black and 8 white balls. One ball is is defective. A shipment of 10,000 items is sent to its
drawn at random. What is the probability that the ball warehouse. Find the standard deviation.
drawn is white? A. 24 C. 18
A. 3/ 4 C. 4/7 * B. 14* D. 26
B. 1/8 D. 3/7 26. Products produced by a machine have a 3% defective
19. The lifespans of people in a certain city constitute a rate. What is the probability that the first defective occurs
normal distribution with a mean of 72 years and a in the fifth item inspected
standard deviation of 6 years. What is the probability that
A. 0.01340 C. 0.01278
a randomly selected person from the city will live more
B. 0.02656 * D. 0.09823
than 75 years?
A. 0.3085 * C. 0.4085 27. A collection of 15 transistors contains 3 that are defective.
B. 0.5085 D. 0.6085 If 2 transistors are selected at random, what is the
probability that at least 1 of them is good?
20. A scientist is measuring the speed of a projectile launched
from a newly designed device. The mean speed of the A. 1/35 B. 1/5
projectiles is known to be 315 meters per second with a B. 34/35 * D. 4/5
standard deviation of 11 meters per second. What is the 28. When two dice are rolled, what are the odds against
maximum speed for 95% of the projectiles? getting doubles?
A. 1:5 C. 1:6
A. 333.3 m/s * C. 444.4 m/s B. 5:1* D. 6:1
B. 555.5 m/s D. 666.6 m/s 29. Three coins are tossed; what is the probability of getting 3
21. A bag contains three white and five black balls. If two balls heads if it is known that at least two heads were obtained?
are drawn in succession without replacement, determine
A. 1/4* C. 2/3
the probability that both balls are white.
B. 1/2 D. 3/8
A. 1/14 C. 3/28*
B. 4/7 D. 5/28 30. Bob is a high school basketball player. He is a 70% free
throw shooter. That means his probability of making a free
22. How many outcomes are there in the sample space when throw is 0.70. During the season, what is the probability
two coins are tossed? that Bob makes his third free throw on his fifth shot?
A.1 C. 2 A. 0.18522 * C. 0.34256
B. 3 D. 4* B. 0.67245 D. 0.29672
23. A man is dealt 4 spade cards from an ordinary deck of 52
cards. If he is given three more cards, find the probability
p that at least one of the additional cards is also a spade. GOD BLESS CERTCIANS!

ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS Prepared by: Engr. George Ezar Namoc Quiriado