The two-way table shows the distribution of book style to genre. Miguel claims that given that the book is paperback (PB) does not affect the outcome that the book is nonfiction (NF).

\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|c|}
\cline { 2 - 4 } & Fiction & Nonfiction & Total \\
\hline Paperback & 20 & 60 & 80 \\
\hline Hardcover & 10 & 30 & 40 \\
\hline Total & 30 & 90 & 120 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

Is Miguel's claim correct?

A. Yes, the two events are independent because [tex]$P( NF \mid PB )=P( NF )$[/tex].

B. Yes, the two events are independent because [tex]$P( PB \mid NF )=P( NF )$[/tex].

C. No, the two events are not independent because [tex]$P( PB \mid NF ) \neq P( PB )$[/tex].

D. No, the two events are not independent because [tex]$P( PB \mid NF ) \neq P( NF )$[/tex].



Answer :

To determine if Miguel's claim is correct, we need to check whether the events "the book is a paperback (PB)" and "the book is a nonfiction (NF)" are independent.

Two events [tex]\( A \)[/tex] and [tex]\( B \)[/tex] are independent if and only if:
[tex]\[ P(A \mid B) = P(A) \][/tex]

In our context, this means that the probability of a book being nonfiction given that it is paperback ([tex]\(P(NF \mid PB)\)[/tex]) should be equal to the overall probability of a book being nonfiction ([tex]\(P(NF)\)[/tex]).

Let's calculate the probabilities step by step:

1. Calculate [tex]\( P(NF \mid PB) \)[/tex]:
- This is the probability that a book is nonfiction given that it is paperback.
- We use the numbers from the table:
- Nonfiction paperback books (PB & NF): 60
- Total paperback books (PB): 80

[tex]\[ P(NF \mid PB) = \frac{\text{Number of nonfiction paperback books}}{\text{Total number of paperback books}} = \frac{60}{80} = 0.75 \][/tex]

2. Calculate [tex]\( P(NF) \)[/tex]:
- This is the overall probability that a book is nonfiction.
- We use the numbers from the table:
- Total nonfiction books (NF): 90
- Total number of books: 120

[tex]\[ P(NF) = \frac{\text{Total number of nonfiction books}}{\text{Total number of books}} = \frac{90}{120} = 0.75 \][/tex]

3. Compare [tex]\( P(NF \mid PB) \)[/tex] and [tex]\( P(NF) \)[/tex]:
- We found that:
[tex]\[ P(NF \mid PB) = 0.75 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ P(NF) = 0.75 \][/tex]

Since [tex]\( P(NF \mid PB) = P(NF) \)[/tex], we conclude that the events "the book is a paperback (PB)" and "the book is a nonfiction (NF)" are indeed independent.

Therefore, Miguel's claim is correct. The correct statement is:
- Yes, the two events are independent because [tex]\(P(NF \mid PB) = P(NF)\)[/tex].

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