Calculating Probabilities Based on a Saint Index survey, assume that when adults are asked to identify the most unpopular projects for their hometown, 54% include WalMart among their choices. Suppose we want to find the probability that when five adults are randomly selected, exactly two of them include WalMart. What is wrong with using the multiplication rule to find the probability of getting two adults who include WalMart followed by three people who do not include WalMart, as in this calculation: (0.54)(0.54)(0.46)(0.46)(0.46)?
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Textbook Solutions for Elementary Statistics
Question
Multinomial Distribution The binomial distribution applies only to cases involving two types of outcomes, whereas the multinomial distribution involves more than two categories. Suppose we have three types of mutually exclusive outcomes denoted by A, B, and C. Let P ( A ) = p 1 , P ( B ) = p 2 , and P ( C ) = p 3 . In n independent trials, the probability of x 1 outcomes of type A, x 2 outcomes of type B, and x 3 outcomes of type C is given by n ! ( x 1 ) ! ( x 2 ) ! ( x 3 ) ! p 1 x 1 p 2 x 2 p 3 x 3 A roulette wheel in the Hard Rock casino in Las Vegas has 18 red slots, 18 black slots, and 2 green slots. If roulette is played 12 times, find the probability of getting 5 red outcomes, 4 black outcomes, and 3 green outcomes.
Solution
The first step in solving 5-3 problem number 46 trying to solve the problem we have to refer to the textbook question: Multinomial Distribution The binomial distribution applies only to cases involving two types of outcomes, whereas the multinomial distribution involves more than two categories. Suppose we have three types of mutually exclusive outcomes denoted by A, B, and C. Let P ( A ) = p 1 , P ( B ) = p 2 , and P ( C ) = p 3 . In n independent trials, the probability of x 1 outcomes of type A, x 2 outcomes of type B, and x 3 outcomes of type C is given by n ! ( x 1 ) ! ( x 2 ) ! ( x 3 ) ! p 1 x 1 p 2 x 2 p 3 x 3 A roulette wheel in the Hard Rock casino in Las Vegas has 18 red slots, 18 black slots, and 2 green slots. If roulette is played 12 times, find the probability of getting 5 red outcomes, 4 black outcomes, and 3 green outcomes.
From the textbook chapter Binomial Probability Distributions you will find a few key concepts needed to solve this.
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