MA208 –Probability Theory and
Applications
I NTRODUCTION TO P ROBABILITY
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R EFERENCE B OOKS FOR MA208
P L Meyer, Introductory Probability and Statistical Applications.
S M Ross, Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Engineers
and Scientists.
Hwei Hsu, Probability, Random Variables and Random Processes.
V K Rohatgi, A K Md. Ehsanes Saleh, An Introduction to
Probability and Statistics.
William Feller, An Introduction to Probability Theory and its
Applications.
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I NTRODUCTION TO P ROBABILITY
D EFINITION (S AMPLE S PACE )
Sample space (Ω) is the set of all possible sample points w ∈ Ω.
E XAMPLES
Tossing a coin: Ω = {H, T }
Rolling a die: Ω = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}
Number of customers in a queue: Ω = {0, 1, 2, 3, · · · }
Call holding time (in minutes): Ω = {x ∈ R | x > 0} = (0, ∞)
Note: |Ω| = “ finite” or “countably infinite” or “uncountably infinite”
D EFINITION (E VENT )
A is called an event if A ⊆ Ω.
D EFINITION (S IMPLE E VENT )
A is called simple event if A ⊆ Ω and |A| = 1.
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D EFINITION (A LGEBRA )
A collection I, of subsets of Ω, |Ω| < ∞, is called Algebra if the following holds,
1 ∅∈I
2 If A ∈ I =⇒ A0 ∈ I
n
[
3 If A1 , A2 , . . . , An ∈ I =⇒ Ai ∈ I.
i=1
(Closed under finite Union)
C OROLLARY (1)
If A ∈ I is an Algebra, Ω ∈ I
C OROLLARY (2)
n
\
If A1 , A2 , . . . , An ∈ I =⇒ Ai ∈ I.
i=1
(Hints: By De Morgan Law)
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C OMBINATION OF E VENTS
Union “A or B”: A ∪ B = {w ∈ Ω | w ∈ A or w ∈ B}
Intersection “A and B”: A ∩ B = {w ∈ Ω | w ∈ A and w ∈ B}
Complement “not A”: A0 = {w ∈ Ω | w ∈
/ A}
Mutually Exclusive Events: A and B are mutually exclusive events
if A ∩ B = ∅
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D EFINITION (S IGMA –A LGEBRA (σ–A LGEBRA ))
A collection A of subsets of Ω is called σ–Algebra if the following holds
1 ∅∈A
2 If A ∈ A =⇒ A0 ∈ A
∞
[
3 If A1 , A2 , . . . , An ∈ A =⇒ Ai ∈ A .
i=1
(Closed under countable Union)
C OROLLARY
1 Ω∈A
∞
\
2 If A1 , A2 , . . . , An ∈ A =⇒ Ai ∈ A .
i=1
E XAMPLES (σ– ALGEBRA )
A = {∅, Ω} is a σ–Algebra (trivial)
A = P(Ω), power set of Ω is a σ–Algebra (trivial)
Let Ω = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6} A = {∅, Ω, {1, 3, 5}, {2, 4, 6}} (Non trivial σ–Algebra)
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BASIC N OTION OF P ROBABILITY
D EFINITION (P ROBABILITY )
A function P : A → [0, 1] is called probability if the following holds:
1 0 ≤ P (A) ≤ 1
2 P (Ω) = 1
∞
! ∞
[ X
3 P Ai = P (Ai ) if A1 , A2 , . . . are pairwise mutually exclusive events.
i=1 i=1
The above properties are called axioms of probability.
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E LEMENTARY P ROPERTIES OF P ROBABILITY
T HEOREM
If ∅ is the empty set, then P (∅) = 0
T HEOREM
If A ∈ A =⇒ P (A) = 1 − P (A0 )
T HEOREM
A, B ∈ A , then P (A ∪ B) = P (A) + P (B) − P (A ∩ B)
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Exercise: Let A, B ∈ A . Find out the probability that exactly one of the
events A or B occurs.
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