On a shelf there are 60 novels and 20 poetry books. What is the probability that Person A chooses a novel and walks away with it and then Person B walks up shortly after and picks another novel?
Is this independent or dependent
This is a dependent probability because the probability of Person B picking a novel depends on the choice made by Person A.
First, we find the probability of Person A picking a novel:
There are 60 novels out of a total of 80 books (60 novels + 20 poetry books), so the probability is 60/80 or 3/4.
Now, after Person A has picked a novel, there are 59 novels left on the shelf out of a total of 79 books. The probability of Person B picking another novel is 59/79.
Therefore, the overall probability of Person A choosing a novel and then Person B choosing another novel is:
(3/4) * (59/79) = 177/316.