Suppose this diagram illustrates the number of women and Democrats in the U.S. Senate. We can see that 18 of the senators are women and 42 of the senators are democrats. since there are
100 senators this means that the probability of a senator being a woman is 0.18 and the probability
of a senator being a democrat is 0.42. If we try to use the addition rule, we'd conclude that the
probability of a senator being a woman or a Democrat is 0.18 + 0.42 = 0.6. Explain why using our
addition rule doesn't work here.

Question

Suppose this diagram illustrates the number of women and Democrats in the U.S. Senate.  We can see that 18 of the senators are women and 42 of the senators are democrats. since there are
100 senators this means that the probability of a senator being a woman is 0.18 and the probability
of a senator being a democrat is 0.42. If we try to use the addition rule, we'd conclude that the
probability of a senator being a woman or a Democrat is 0.18 + 0.42 = 0.6. Explain why using our
addition rule doesn't work here.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer of Suppose this diagram illustrates the number of women and Democrats in the U.S. Senate.  We can see that 18 of the senators are women and 42 of the senators are democrats. since there are
100 senators this means that the probability of a senator being a woman is 0.18 and the probability
of a senator being a democrat is 0.42. If we try to use the addition rule, we'd conclude that the
probability of a senator being a woman or a Democrat is 0.18 + 0.42 = 0.6. Explain why using our
addition rule doesn't work here.

Suppose This Diagram Illustrates the Number of Women and Democrats