Question 10 • Probability and Statistics with Applications Honors Sem-2-FL-1210300 (2024-2025)
A teacher claims that there is a 50% chance that she will collect homework for a grade on any given day. One week, she collected all five daily homework assignments. A student in this class is upset and explains that the teacher should not collect any homework assignments the following week in order to honor her 50% probability claim.
Answer
A
Yes, the teacher should not collect homework assignments next week to bring the probability of homework being collected back to 0.5.
B
No, if the teacher collects homework five days in a row, it is not possible for the probability of homework being collected to be 0.5.
C
Yes, it is unlikely that the teacher would randomly collect homework assignments five days in a row, so not having a homework collection next week is due to happen.
D
No, collecting homework and not collecting homework are equally likely in the long run, so whether or not the teacher collects homework on any single day cannot be determined.