Question

The Western Casualty Insurance Company studied causes of accidental deaths in the home. Its report listed 200 deaths caused by falls, 185 deaths caused by poisons, and 15 caused by fires.

Part 1 of 3

If the report's sample space is listed as S = {death caused by fall, death caused by poison, death caused by fire}, are the sample space outcomes all equally likely? Show work to validate your answer.

Answer 1

Total number of deaths reported = 200 + 185 + 15 = 400

P(death caused by fall) = Number of deaths caused by falls / Total number of deaths reported  

= 200 / 400 = 0.5

P(death caused by poisons) = Number of deaths caused by poisons / Total number of deaths reported  

= 185 / 400 = 0.4625

P(death caused by fires) = Number of deaths caused by fires / Total number of deaths reported  

= 15 / 400 = 0.0375

Since, P(death caused by fall)   P(death caused by poisons)   P(death caused by fires) , the sample space outcomes are not all equally likely.