In a bulb factory, machines P, Q and R manufacture respectively 25%, 35% and…

2021

In a bulb factory, machines P, Q and R manufacture respectively 25%, 35% and 40% of the total. Of their output 5, 4 and 2 percent respectively are defective bulbs. A bulb is drawn at random and it is found to be defective. What is the probability that it was manufactured by machine Q?

  1. A.

    0.55

  2. B.

    0.45

  3. C.

    0.31

  4. D.

    0.41

Attempted by 7 students.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D

To solve this problem, we use Bayes' Theorem, which allows us to find the conditional probability of an event based on prior knowledge of conditions related to the event.

Step-by-Step Calculation
Identify the probabilities of manufacture:

P(P) = 0.25

P(Q) = 0.35

P(R) = 0.40

Identify the probabilities of a defect given the machine (conditional probability):

P(Defect|P) = 0.05

P(Defect|Q) = 0.04

P(Defect|R) = 0.02

Calculate the total probability of drawing a defective bulb :

P(Defect) = P(P) * P(Defect|P) + P(Q) * P(Defect|Q) + P(R) * P(Defect|R)

P(Defect) = (0.25 * 0.05) + (0.35 * 0.04) + (0.40 * 0.02)

P(Defect) = 0.0125 + 0.0140 + 0.0080

P(Defect) = 0.0345

Apply Bayes' Theorem to find P(Q|Defect):

P(Q|Defect) = [P(Q) * P(Defect|Q)] / P(Defect)

P(Q|Defect) = (0.35 * 0.04) / 0.0345

P(Q|Defect) = 0.0140 / 0.0345

P(Q|Defect) ≈ 0.4057, which rounds to 0.41.

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