6. Probabilities of Mutually Exclusive Events
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Events that cannot occur at the same time are mutually exclusive. Mutually exclusive events have no outcomes in common. For example, because it is not possible to toss a coin and obtain heads and tails at the same time, these two events are mutually exclusive.
Addition Rules for Probability | |
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If A and B are mutually exclusive events, the probability that A and B will occur is P(A and B)=0. | If A and B are not mutually exclusive events, the probability that A and B will occur is P(A and B)=0. |
Let A be getting a jack card
and B be getting a club card
from a standard deck of cards.
There are four jacks in the deck and one of them is a club, so it is possible to be both a jack and a club. Therefore, A and B are not mutually exclusive events.