Thread: Random Probability

Hi! This problem is giving me trouble because the wording in the question is confusing. Please help...

In a British study around 1950, a group of 649 men with lung cancer were surveyed. A control group of the same size was established from a set of men who did not have lung cancer. The groups were matched according to ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status. The statistics from the survey follow:

[B]If one person is chosen at random from each of the two groups (smokers and nonsmokers), what is the probability that each person chosen has cancer?

Lung Cancer Cases Controls Totals

Smokers 647=lung cancer 622=controls 1269=totals

Nonsmokers 2=lung cancer 27=controls 29=totals


Thanks!

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Originally Posted by mathmagic

Hi! This problem is giving me trouble because the wording in the question is confusing. Please help...

In a British study around 1950, a group of 649 men with lung cancer were surveyed. A control group of the same size was established from a set of men who did not have lung cancer. The groups were matched according to ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status. The statistics from the survey follow:

[b]If one person is chosen at random from each of the two groups (smokers and nonsmokers), what is the probability that each person chosen has cancer?

Lung Cancer Cases Controls Totals

Smokers 647=lung cancer 622=controls 1269=totals

Nonsmokers 2=lung cancer 27=controls 29=totals

Thanks!

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It looks to me like (647/1269).(2/27) = ....

Hi! Thank you very much for your response. I just had one question...Why is the random probability for the nonsmokers 2/27 instead of 2/29 since the random probability for smokers is 647/1269?

Originally Posted by mathmagic

Hi! Thank you very much for your response. I just had one question...Why is the random probability for the nonsmokers 2/27 instead of 2/29 since the random probability for smokers is 647/1269?

Surely the answer is obvious .....

(*ahem* I made a typo)

Okay, no problem. Thank you very much. Also, I have one more question since I am a fairly new user of this website, I posted a question under Trade-in Value of a Car yesterday that I really needed help with as soon as possible. No one has responded to it other than myself, so I'm unsure as to what I should do. Should I just wait a little longer? Based on the rules, I don't think I can re-post the question, but do you have any suggestions? If not, that's okay...I appreciate your help anyway.

Originally Posted by mathmagic

Okay, no problem. Thank you very much. Also, I have one more question since I am a fairly new user of this website, I posted a question under Trade-in Value of a Car yesterday that I really needed help with as soon as possible. No one has responded to it other than myself, so I'm unsure as to what I should do. Should I just wait a little longer? Based on the rules, I don't think I can re-post the question, but do you have any suggestions? If not, that's okay...I appreciate your help anyway.

If you post any further non-trivial work or ideas you've had on the question, that will draw attention back to it.