Let a sample space be . Which of the following assignments of probabilities to each outcome are valid?
Answer: Assignments (a) and (b) are valid.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1: Understand Probability Rules
For any assignment of probabilities to be valid, two fundamental rules must be satisfied. First, the probability of each individual outcome, , must be between 0 and 1, inclusive. Second, the sum of the probabilities of all possible outcomes in the sample space must equal 1.
Step 2: Check Assignment (a)
For assignment (a), all probabilities are , which is between 0 and 1. The sum of these probabilities is . Both conditions are met, so this is a valid assignment.
Step 3: Check Assignment (b)
For assignment (b), all probabilities are either 0 or 1, which are within the valid range. The sum of these probabilities is . Both conditions are met, so this is a valid assignment.
Step 4: Check Assignment (c)
In assignment (c), the probabilities and are negative. Probabilities cannot be negative. Therefore, this is not a valid assignment.
Step 5: Check Assignment (d)
For assignment (d), the probability is greater than 1. Probabilities cannot exceed 1. Therefore, this is not a valid assignment.
Step 6: Check Assignment (e)
For assignment (e), all individual probabilities are between 0 and 1. However, the sum of the probabilities is . Since the sum is not equal to 1, this is not a valid assignment.
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