Which shelf given two grey socks drawn
Question
A dresser has a top and a bottom shelf, each holding a huge supply of socks. A sock drawn from the top shelf is grey with probability (white otherwise); one drawn from the bottom shelf is grey with probability . You choose a shelf at random with equal odds and draw two socks from it, and both are grey. Draws are independent because the supply is effectively unlimited. What is the probability you chose the top shelf?
Short answer
. By Bayes' rule with equal priors, the posterior is proportional to the likelihoods and . So .
Adapted from QuantQuestions.io; question and answer rewritten by SelfMadeQuant.com.
See the hint and the full worked solution in the question bank (free account).
Open the worked solutionLessons behind this question
- Conditional Probability, Total Probability, and Bayes' Rule
- Worked Examples — Probability Trees, Monty Hall, and Bayesian Updating
- Sample Spaces, Events, and the Probability Axioms
Start with a free lesson: Probability Fundamentals is part of a free topic. Create a free account, no card needed, to read it in full with worked solutions.
Read it free