Sign In
When two events are mutually exclusive they cannot happen at the same time.
Example Solution:
Mutually Exclusive Events | Not Mutually Exclusive Events |
---|---|
Visiting the Grand Canyon and visiting the Eiffel Tower | Reading a book and listening to music |
If we have two events that cannot happen at the same time, we call them mutually exclusive events.
If A and B are mutually exclusive events, then P(A and B)=0 and P(A or B)=P(A)+P(B) |
Now, imagine that we are visiting the Grand Canyon with our best friends. If we are there, it is impossible for us to visit the Eiffel Tower in France at the same time. Therefore, this is an example of mutually exclusive events. Mutually Exclusive Events Visiting the Grand Canyon and visiting the Eiffel Tower Next, let's imagine that we are reading a book in our favorite cafe. Since it is quite possible that they play music in the cafe, we can listen to music at the same time. Therefore, these two events can be an example of not mutually exclusive events. Not Mutually Exclusive Events Reading a book and listening to music Notice that this is only an example solution, as we can think of infinitely many examples of pairs of mutually exclusive and not mutually exclusive events.