Exercises: Analyze Decisions and Strategies Using Probability
Work through each section in order. For testing problems, build the two-way table over the stated population and compute the decision-relevant quantity by counting. Remember the difference between a test's accuracy P(positive | disease) and the decision-relevant P(disease | positive). For strategy problems, account for how a choice changes ALL of the probabilities, not just the one you want. Write explanation answers in complete sentences and name your assumptions.
Warm-Up: Tools You Already Have
These problems review expected value and conditional probability, the tools this lesson combines.
A game has expected value per play. Which statement best describes what the expected value tells you?
A coach is deciding whether to attempt a risky play or a safe play at the end of a game. Which list correctly names the four ingredients of a decision analysis?
In a population of people, a two-way table shows people have a condition and test positive, while people do NOT have the condition but also test positive. Among all who test positive, how many actually have the condition? ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ And how many test positive in total? ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲ ̲
Fluency Practice
Compute the decision-relevant quantity in each problem.
Two insurance choices have the SAME expected annual cost of . Plan X costs exactly every year. Plan Y costs with probability but with probability . What is the largest possible single-year cost (the worst case) under Plan Y, in dollars?
A disease has prevalence in a population of people, so have it and do not. A test is sensitive (catches of the sick) and specific (correctly clears of the healthy). How many of the healthy people test positive (false positives)?
Using the table from the previous problem: true positives and false positives test positive, for positives in all. What is , written as a decimal?
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