Two boys given a boy born on a Friday
Question
A couple has two children, and you learn that at least one of them is a boy who was born on a Friday. Assume each child is independently a boy or a girl with probability each, and is born on any of the seven weekdays with equal probability, independently of sex. What is the probability that both children are boys?
Short answer
. A child is a Friday-born boy with probability . The chance at least one child is a Friday boy is , while the chance both are boys and at least one is a Friday boy is . The ratio is .
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Open the worked solutionLessons behind this question
- Conditional Probability, Total Probability, and Bayes' Rule
- Counting and Combinatorics
- Worked Examples — Probability Trees, Monty Hall, and Bayesian Updating
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