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Let box I contains 3 black and 4 white balls, box II contains 2 black and 2 white balls, box III contains 4 black and 3 white balls. A box is selected at random and then a ball is randomly drawn from the selected box. If the color of the ball is black then the probability that the ball is drawn from box III, is:

Solution

✅ Correct Option: 3

Box I contains 3 black and 4 white balls (7 total).

Box II contains 2 black and 2 white balls (4 total).

Box III contains 4 black and 3 white balls (7 total).

A box is selected at random, so each box has probability 13\frac{1}{3} of being selected.


The probability of drawing a black ball from each box:

From Box I: P(Black | Box I)=37P(\text{Black | Box I}) = \frac{3}{7}

From Box II: P(Black | Box II)=24=12P(\text{Black | Box II}) = \frac{2}{4} = \frac{1}{2}

From Box III: P(Black | Box III)=47P(\text{Black | Box III}) = \frac{4}{7}


The total probability of drawing a black ball:

P(Black)=P(Box I)×P(Black | Box I)+P(Box II)×P(Black | Box II)+P(Box III)×P(Black | Box III)P(\text{Black}) = P(\text{Box I}) \times P(\text{Black | Box I}) + P(\text{Box II}) \times P(\text{Black | Box II}) + P(\text{Box III}) \times P(\text{Black | Box III})

P(Black)=13×37+13×12+13×47P(\text{Black}) = \frac{1}{3} \times \frac{3}{7} + \frac{1}{3} \times \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{3} \times \frac{4}{7}

P(Black)=321+16+421P(\text{Black}) = \frac{3}{21} + \frac{1}{6} + \frac{4}{21}

Converting to common denominator 42:

P(Black)=642+742+842P(\text{Black}) = \frac{6}{42} + \frac{7}{42} + \frac{8}{42}

P(Black)=2142P(\text{Black}) = \frac{21}{42}

P(Black)=12P(\text{Black}) = \frac{1}{2}


Using Bayes' theorem to find the probability that the black ball came from Box III:

P(Box III | Black)=P(Box III and Black)P(Black)P(\text{Box III | Black}) = \frac{P(\text{Box III and Black})}{P(\text{Black})}

P(Box III and Black)=P(Box III)×P(Black | Box III)P(\text{Box III and Black}) = P(\text{Box III}) \times P(\text{Black | Box III})

P(Box III and Black)=13×47P(\text{Box III and Black}) = \frac{1}{3} \times \frac{4}{7}

P(Box III and Black)=421P(\text{Box III and Black}) = \frac{4}{21}

Therefore:

P(Box III | Black)=42112P(\text{Box III | Black}) = \frac{\frac{4}{21}}{\frac{1}{2}}

P(Box III | Black)=421×21P(\text{Box III | Black}) = \frac{4}{21} \times \frac{2}{1}

P(Box III | Black)=821P(\text{Box III | Black}) = \frac{8}{21}

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