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What is the final value of the conditional probability P(B|A) for the box problem?

The final value is 21/5821/58. This is obtained by dividing P(B)P(B) by P(A)P(A), where P(B)=21/64P(B) = 21/64 and P(A)=29/32P(A) = 29/32.

Conditions

  • A is "at least one box is empty".
  • B is "exactly two boxes are empty".
  • The sample space size is 44=2564^4 = 256.

Reasoning, step by step

  1. Calculate P(A)=29/32P(A) = 29/32 using the complement method.
  2. Calculate P(B)=21/64P(B) = 21/64 using the counting formula C42(C43C21+C42)/44C_4^2(C_4^3C_2^1+C_4^2)/4^4.
  3. Apply the conditional probability formula P(B|A) = P(B)/P(A)P(B)/P(A) since B ⊆ A.
  4. Compute (21/6421/64) / (29/3229/32) = (21/6421/64) * (32/2932/29) = 21/5821/58.

Example

The video concludes with the answer 21/5821/58 on the screen.

Common misconceptions

  • Using the wrong denominator for P(B)P(B) or P(A)P(A).
  • Forgetting to simplify the fraction correctly.

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