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
If A and B are mutually exclusive events, the probability that A and B will occur is P(AandB)=0.
If A and B are not mutually exclusive events, the probability that A and B will occur is P(AandB)≠0.
Let A be a playing card is a spade and B be a playing card is a club.
The playing card is chosen from the deck, which consists of 52 cards divided into suits - spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds. Each card can only be one out of 4 suits, so it is not possible to be both a spade and a club. Therefore, A and B are mutually exclusive events.
