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 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.
