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Simple gambling problem

Simple gambling problem

Posers and Puzzles

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Originally posted by mtthw
And this, folks, is a good example as to why this conditional probability stuff matters.
Too bad I haven't studied it. I tried to solve the problem logically, but didn't get to any result. Of course I'm not the wisest guy around.

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Originally posted by kbaumen
Too bad I haven't studied it. I tried to solve the problem logically, but didn't get to any result. Of course I'm not the wisest guy around.
Hint: think about how many people will get a positive result, and how many results will be false...

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Originally posted by kbaumen
I'd like to post a problem also. I know that's not probability and is quite easy, but still I've heard some people answering wrongly.

Consider a bacteria in a sterile glass. Only the bacteria and the glass. Once in a minute, the bacteria reproduces and so the number of bacterias in the glass is doubled then. In an hour, the glass is full. Now two of these ...[text shortened]... kind of bacterias are placed in the glass. How long would it now take to have the glass full?
unless this is a trick question, then the solution is as follows:

after 1 min 2^1 bacteria

after 2 min 2^2 bacteria

after 3 min 2^3 bacteria...

after 60 min 2^60 bacteria

for 2 bacteria

after 1 min 2^2 bacteria

after 2 min 2^3 bacteria

after 3 min 2^4 bacteria...

after 59 min 2^60 bacteria

so the answer is 59 minutes.

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Originally posted by mtthw
And this, folks, is a good example as to why this conditional probability stuff matters.
Here's another example:

Can a bunch of lawyers and jurors understand a conditional probability question? Get it wrong and an innocent person goes to prison...

http://www.badscience.net/?p=318

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Originally posted by eldragonfly
unless this is a trick question, then the solution is as follows:

after 1 min 2^1 bacteria

after 2 min 2^2 bacteria

after 3 min 2^3 bacteria...

after 60 min 2^60 bacteria

for 2 bacteria

after 1 min 2^2 bacteria

after 2 min 2^3 bacteria

after 3 min 2^4 bacteria...

after 59 min 2^60 bacteria

so the answer is 59 minutes.
Correct.

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Originally posted by PBE6
Lol. 🙂

OK, one more. The rate of infection from a particular disease is 1 in 1,000,000 in the general population. A hospital wants to administer a test that is 99% accurate (i.e. if 100 people who have the disease get tested, 99 will test "positive" and 1 will test "negative" falsely) and 95% specific (i.e. if 100 who don't have the disease get tested, 95 ...[text shortened]... ts a positive result on the test, what is the chance that they really have the disease?
Less than 1 in 50,000

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Originally posted by luskin
Less than 1 in 50,000
Assuming this person is randomly chosen.

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I think 0,00198%

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100 in 100 000 000 have the disease. Of the healthy 99 999 900 5% test positive when actually negative (4 999 995). Since the subject has tested positive he/she has to be in one of these two groups.

So the probability of a correct test result is 100 in 4 999 995 or 0.00002%?

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no, it is 99 in 5.000.094
cause the test is only 99% accurate

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Originally posted by Thomaster
no, it is 99 in 5.000.094
cause the test is only 99% accurate
Can't we discount that information?

1. We know that 1 in a million have the disease independently of any test.
2. Because our subject tested positive we know that he is not in the 1% that test negative when actually positive.

According to the information provided, if the 100 in 100 million that have the disease are tested one will show a negative result. This doesn't impact on our subject though as he/she tested positive.

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The question is:
Given that a person gets a positive result on the test, what is the chance that they really have the disease?

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Originally posted by Green Paladin
100 in 100 000 000 have the disease. Of the healthy 99 999 900 5% test positive when actually negative (4 999 995). Since the subject has tested positive he/she has to be in one of these two groups.

So the probability of a correct test result is 100 in 4 999 995 or 0.00002%?
Yes, I think I missed a step in the logic.

Because the subject tested positive he/she must be one of the 99 out of the 100 out of the 100 million (or more likely the group of 4 999 995). He/she cannot be one of the hundred because one of them tested negative which we know is not the case with our subject.

So the probability of a correct test result is 99 in 4 999 995 (1 in 50505) or 0.0000198% ?

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Originally posted by Green Paladin
Yes, I think I missed a step in the logic.

Because the subject tested positive he/she must be one of the 99 out of the 100 out of the 100 million (or more likely the group of 4 999 995). He/she cannot be one of the hundred because one of them tested negative which we know is not the case with our subject.

So the probability of a correct test result is 99 in 4 999 995 or 0.0000198%?
It is 99 in 5.000.094
99/5.000.094x100=0,001979962777%
This seems to be a useless test

1 edit
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Originally posted by Green Paladin
So the probability of a correct test result is 99 in 4 999 995 (1 in 50505) or 0.0000198% ?
1 in 50506. You must be missing one small step.

Remember the sample space is all those that would test positive. So it would be:

99/(99 + 4999995)

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