A couple with eight daughters decides to have one more baby, because they think
this time they are sure to have boy! Is this reasoning accurate?
nope - same old 50-50 chance.
Although, given their previous children, I ct the chances are high that they'll have another daughter. There may be something other than random chance at work here.
http://drdavespsychologypage.homestead.com/Odds__Figuring.pdf
To determine whether the couple's reasoning is accurate, we need to understand the concept of probability and the factors that influence the likelihood of having a boy or a girl.
The gender of a baby is determined by the combination of sex chromosomes from both parents. A male has one X and one Y chromosome, while a female has two X chromosomes. Since the father contributes both an X and a Y chromosome, and the mother contributes two X chromosomes, the possible combinations for the offspring are as follows:
Father's contribution: X or Y
Mother's contribution: X or X
The possibilities for the child's gender are:
1. X from father and X from mother: This combination results in a girl (XX).
2. X from father and Y from mother: This combination results in a boy (XY).
Each pregnancy is independent of the previous ones, which means the outcome of having a boy or a girl is not influenced by the gender of the couple's previous children. Therefore, having eight daughters does not increase or decrease the probability of having a boy in the next pregnancy.
The likelihood of having a boy or a girl in each pregnancy is approximately 50% or 1 in 2. So, the probability of having a boy is not affected by the number of daughters the couple already has.
In conclusion, the couple's reasoning that they are more likely to have a boy after having eight daughters is not accurate. The probability of having a boy or a girl is equal in each pregnancy, regardless of the couple's previous children.